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«=    SINCLAIR  COMPUTERS 


The  Sinclair  QL 

-a  32  bit  CPU  PowerHcuse! 


Peru,  Indiana  46970 

News  andINew  Products 


*         UPDATE  COMPUTER  SYSTEMS  * 


UPDATE  COMPUTER  SYSTEMS  is  Edited  and  Published  by  Carol  and  Frank 
Davis  of  P.O.  Box  1095,  Peru,  Indiana  46970.  Phone  number  is 
317-473-8031,  with  normal  phone  hours  being  between  5  P.M.  and  9:30 
P.M.  Eastern  Time  during  the  week  and  Noon  to  6  P.M.  on  weekends.  When 
we  are  not  there  or  unavailable,  please  leave  a  message  with  our 
answering  machine.   Unless  urgent  you  will  be  answered  by  mail. 

Mailing  date  for  all   issues  is  the  fifteenth  of  the  issue  month. 

The  magazine  is  published  on  a  quarterly  basis  in  the  months  of 
October,  January,  April  and  July.  All  subscriptions  begin  and  end  at 
the  same  time... first  issue  being  October  and  all  renewals  coming  due 
after  receipt  of  the  July  issue.  The  cost  is  $18.00  U.S.  for  a  one  year 
subscription  for  North  America,  and  for  those  outside  of  this  area 
$20.00  U.S.  We  accept  personal  and  business  checks,  money  orders  and  to 
i\bt«5n  back  issues  prior  to  October  1990,  please  ccwytact  the  former 
Publisher,  Bill  Jones  at  1317  Stratford  Ave.,  Panama  City,  Florida 
32404.  He  will  gladly  provide  you  with  the  needed  issues  and 
information.  The  use  of  a  Self  Addressed  Stamped  Envelope  would  be 
appreciated  and  help  to  speed  a  reply. 

Assistance  in  Publishing  this  magazine  is  provided  by  Eliad  P.  Wannum , 
poet,  computer  user  and  all  round  good  guy.  The  magazine  is  made 
possible  by  the  regular  contributors  such  as  Peter  Hale,  Bill  Cable,  Al 
Feng,  Bob  Hartung  to  name  a  few,  and  by  the  many  contributions  of  other 
writers  and  programmers.  Your  contributions  to  this  magazine  are 
welcome.  This  is  truly  a  magazine  BY  THE  USER  AND  FOR  THE  USER  OF 
SINCLAIR,  TIMEX  AND  CAMBRIDGE  COMPUTERS.  When  we  cover  other  operating 
systems  such  as  CPM  or  MSD0S  it  will  be  in  relationship  to  our 
computers  or  emulators  for  our  systems  to  run  their  software.  We 
primarily  cover  disk  based  systems  and  software  for  the  TS2068, 
Spectrum,  QL,  Z88...and  will  cover  items  on  the  TS1000  if  disk  drive 
based  or  in  relationship  to  using  it  with  the  above  mentioneed 
computers.  We  do  accept  reviews  of  peripherals  that  are  useable  by  our 
systems,  such  as  scanners,  printers,  modems,  etc.  Submissions  should  be 
on  disk  or  hard  copy  (two  copies  and  at  least  NLO ,  no  draft  mode).  If 
there  is  artwork,  please  let  us  know  in  what  order  it  should  be  used, 
and  provide  it  as  a  saved  screen  or  hard  copy  screen  dump.  The  format 
is  very  relaxed.  Just  pay  attention  to  the  width  of  the  pages  and  allow 
3/4  inch  top  and  bottom,  and  make  the  left  and  right  margins  wide 
enough  to  accomodate  a  3  hole  punch  that  does  not  cut  out  some  of  the 
text.  We  have  enlarge  and  reduction  capacity  to  adjust  a  page,  but  may 
lose  some  print  legibility  in  the  process.  Most  important  is 
legibility.  Draft  quality  dot  matrix  does  not  reproduce  well.  Print 
size  preference  is  ELITE  12  characters  per  inch.  PICA  10  characters 
per  inch  is  okay  also,  but  please  no  condensed  print.  Please  do  not 
make  programs  submitted  on  cassette  tape  under  any  circumstance,  disk 
or  hardcopy  only.  Exceptions  to  this  would  be  the  wafers  used  on  the 
Rotronics  Wafadrive  for  the  Spectrum  or  TS2068  with  emulator.  Z88 
programs  on  disk  may  be  in  either  IBM  or  0L  format  or  hardcopy.  TS2068 
programs  may  be  LLISTED  in  32  chr.  lines,  but  that  is  not  solely 
necessary,  just  do  not  send  a  copy  protected  disk  that  needs  to  be 
LLISTED. 


UPDATE  COMPUTER   SYSTEMS  PAGE   DIRECTORY,    J AN UAH V  1991 


The  computer  that  an  article  concerns  is  marked  by  using  the 
following  mark  at  the  start  of  the  page  number-TS2068  =  * ,  QL  -  # 
,Z88  =  %  .  There  will  be  no  mark  if  the  article  or  ad  applies  to 
all  or  several  different  computer  systems. 


Inside  Front  Cover  contains  magazine  basic  information 


Page 

No. 

1  - 

- -Directory 

Page 

No. 

2- 

--Editorial  by  Frank  Davis 

Page 

No . 

3  - 

--Ed  Grey  Enterprises  Ad 

Page 

No. 

4  - 

--LKD0S  Software   +  Back    Issues  Update   /Bill  Jones 

*Page 

No. 

5- 

--Hybiscus  /Bill  Jones 

*Page 

No . 

9- 

--Oliger  Auto-Menu  /Bill  Ferrebee 

*Page 

No. 

11- 

--Speed     Comparison     Between     2068     Pascal  and 

Compiled  Basic  /Larry  Kenny 

Page 

No. 

12- 

--Sir  dive's  Castle  BBS  /Dave  Solly 

#Page 

No. 

13-  • 

--New  QL  Issue  Disk,   QLuMSi   /Al  Feng 

Page 

No. 

14-  • 

--Wanted  or  For  Sale  Ads  for  Subscribers 

*Page 

No . 

15-  • 

--LogiCall  V4.3  /Bob  Swoger 

^Page 

No. 

21- 

--Some  More   Ideas  On  How  to  Create  Multiple 

Columns  In  Z88  Pipedrearn   /Dave  Bennett 

*Page 

No. 

22- 

--Oliger  Disk  Drive  BBS  Program   Issue  Disk   /  Paul 

Holmgren 

#Page 

No. 

23-  • 

--Cable  Column  /Bill  Cable 

#Page 

No . 

26-  • 

-text  87  and  Quill-Part   III    /Peter  Hale 

#Page 

No . 

28-  • 

--A  Mail   File   in  Archive   /Bob  Hartung 

Page 

No . 

30-  • 

--Switching  Printer  Characters   /Bob  Hartung 

Page 

No. 

32-- 

•  - LMbOi t  Ad 

Page 

No. 

33-- 

-Mechanical  Affinity  Ad 

Page 

No. 

34-- 

--RMG  Ad  on  Zebra  Graphics 

#Page 

No. 

35-- 

--Merging  Archive  and  Abacus  Files  /Peter  Hale 

*Page 

No. 

36-- 

•-Z88  Fax  News-sample- 

*Page 

No. 

37-- 

-The  Sinclair  Desktop  Publishing  Journal  /Mike 

Felersk  i 

#Page 

No. 

41-- 

-QL  Emulator  for   the  Amiga   /Al  Feng 

Page 

No. 

43-- 

-Programming  Tips  -  DEF  FN  and  FN  all  Computers  / 

Bill  Jones 

Page 

No. 

45-- 

-John  McMichael  Ad  and  Bottle  Cap  Software  Ad 

Page 

No. 

46-- 

-Domino  Cubes  Ad 

9&Page 

No. 

47-- 

-Datatronics  2400P  Modem  Review  /Dave  Bennett 

Page 

No. 

48-- 

-The  GEnie   Information  Service  /Dave  Bennett 

#Page 

No. 

49-- 

-Quanta  -   Latest  Updates  on  Library  /  Paul 

Holmgren 

Page 

No. 

50-- 

-Public  Notice  from  Jack  Dohany 

Back 

Covers  -- 

-Issue  Disks  for  TS2068  and  0L 

J 


FROM  THE  EDITORS  DESK 


Greetings  to  our  faithful  readers.  Once  again  Carol  and  I 
hope  that  you  will  find  this  issue  of  UPDATES  to  be  worth 
reading.  We  have  received  quite  a  bit  of  feedback  from  quite  a 
few  of  you.  Some  of  your  suggestions  we  have  implemented,  where 
they  would  be  of  help  to  you  -such  as  marking  in  the  directory 
as  to  just  what  computer  model  an  article  or  program  concerns. 
Check  this  out  and  you  will  see  that  you  can  now  tell  at  the 
directory  as  to  whether  an  article  is  for  the  TS2068 ,  QL,  Z88  or 
of  general    interest  to  all  three. 

There  were  some  suggestions  which  we  could  not  act  upon, 
only  try  to  be  fair.  A  few  people  wanted  the  magazine  to  be  only 
for  the  TS2068,  and  some  for  only  the  QL.  A  few  wanted  greater 
coverage  for  the  Z88.  What  we  will  be  doing,  as  close  as  is 
possible,  is  to  represent  the  computers  our  users  have  and  use. 
This  comes  out  to  about  40%  TS2068,  40%  QL  and  20%  for  the  Z88 
at  this  time.  As  (or  if)  our  readership  changes  we  will  try  to 
reflect  this.  Some  wanted  us  to  include  cassette  based  programs 
for  the  TS2068.  We  are  open  to  type- in  programs  of  short  to 
moderate  length  that  are  for  tape,  or  utilities  and  tips  that 
apply  to  tape  or  disk,  but  not  for  ISSUE  DISK  PROGRAMS.  My  own 
aging  cassette  decks  show  less  and  less  reliability  after  some 
have  been  in  use  for  ten  years.  It  is  not  easy  to  find  a 
good  reliable  tape  deck  that  is  suited  for  computer  use  these 
days.  Disks  are  far  cheaper  than  cassette  tapes  and  with  the 
savings  on  that  alone  one  could  soon  justify  an  Oliger,  Larken, 
Aerco  or  other  disk  drive  system.  This  does  not  even  touch  upon 
reliability  or  speed.  Now  I  will  just  slide  down  off  of  my  soap 
box  and   into  my  easy  chair. 

Tim  Stoddard,  what  with  too  many  commitments  and  not  enough 
time,  was  not  able  to  get  his  next  installment  on  the  Trump  Card 
manual  for  the  QL  to  us  in  time.  He  promises  it  next  issue.  He 
carefully  researches  each  article  to  insure  accuracy  and  this 
does  take  a  fair  amount  of  time. 

Bill  Ferrebee  will  be  giving  the  magazine  a  new  logo  which 
you  should  see  in  the  next  issue.  Bill  is  quite  good  at  graphics 
for  the  TS2068.  He  is  doing  a  regular  column  on  Sinclairs  for 
the  Vulcan  Computer  Monthly,  so  check  out  this  magazine  by 
either  subscribing  or  buying  it  at  your  newstand.  He  also  has  an 
article  in  this  issue  and  more  on  tap  for  future  issues. 

Please  note  what  Jack  Dohany  says  in  his  news  release.  He 
is  not  leaving  us;  he  just  needs  more  time  to  program  for  TS2068 
and  is  looking  to  have  other  dealers  take  over  the  sales  of  his 
products. I  happen  to  know  that  Mechanical  Affinity  is  interested 
in  at  least  all  of  them  and,  I'm  sure  that  RMG  will  also  be, 
just  to  name  a  couple. 

We  were  unable  to  fit  in  a  few  items  that  have  gone  onto  the 
planning  board  for  the  next  issue.  These  include  some  real  meat 
on  corrections  to  the  TS2068  ROM  to  produce  the  type  of  machine 
it  could  and  should  have  been.  This  is  by  Bill  Pederson  of 
Widjup.  He  has  been  slowly  getting  his  health  back  to  at  least 
some  extent.  I  wish  his  continued  recovery.  Another  item 
is  coverage  of  the  QL  and  Desktop  Publishing.  They  should  both 
be   in  the  April  Issue. 

Once  again  we  fell  a  little  behind  in  our  schedule  due  to 
equipment  problems,  our  photocopier,  which  is  not  easy  to  get 
repaired  in  a  small  Midwest  town  with  only  one  repairman.  From 
each  little  problem  we  learn.   This  may  be  our  last  delay! 


2 


Ed  Grey  Enterprises'  Price  List   for  Spring/ Summer  '90 

Ed  Grey  Enterpriser? 

P.O.    Box  #2186 
Inglewood,    CA  90  30  5 

(213)  759-7406 

Call  The  Grey  Matter  BBS  &  RCP/M  (213-971-6260) 
PRICES 
Spring/ Summer  1990 
Timex/ SINCLAIR  Products: 
**Sof tware  


SPECTERM-64  CTS-4.  1)  on  tape  $12.50  +  $2.50  S&H 

SPECTERM-64  (ZX-4.  1)  on  tape  ....$12.50  +  $2.50  S&H 

SPECTERM-64  (TS-4.  1)  AERCOT  JLO,    Larken.  $12.  50  +  $3.00  S&H 

MAX-COM  Term/BBS  SW  (LKDOS  v  3)  $25.00  +  $3.00  S&H 

Loader  V  (Mterm  2  Enhancer)  ..$12.50  +  $2.50  S&H 

PC-Draw  Cver  3.0)  on  tape  $12.50  +  $2.50  S&H 

COLOR2GREY  (convert  color  to  grey seal e) . $  12. 50  +  $2.50  S&H 

CP/M  (2.2/3.0)   Software  (new)  


WordStar  3.3  (for  CP/M-80,    8"  disk)  $40.00  +  S&H 

Turbo  Pascal  3.0  (for  CP/M  or  DOS.)   $60.00  +  S&H 

MIX   'C  Compiler  (for  CP/M  2.2,    5.25"  disk).  ...  $19.  95  +  S&H 

MIX  Editor  If  or  CP/M  2.2,   5.  25"  disk)  $19.95  +  S&H 

*NOTE:     See    complete  listing  of  CP/M  software  available  on  the 
<B>  file  of  the  <N)ews  menu  for  send  SASE  and  $1.00). 
*NOTE :  Add  $2.50/  disk  to  change  disk  format. 

>>  All  CP/M  software:   S&H  =  $5.00  << 

**T/S  Specific  Hardware  

QL  Used/Tested  w/  Cent  I/F,   cables,    SW.  ..$139.  95  +  $10  S&H 

1520  Printer/Plotter  Tested,   I/F,   all  SW.$125.00  +  $7, 50  S&H 

T/S2068  Used/Tested,   CPU/Kybd  only  $60.00  +  $5.00  S&H 

T/S2068  Tested  w/CPU,   Manual,   PS,   Cab  1  es .  .  $75.  00  +  $6.50  S&H 

T/S1500  Tested  w/CPU,   Manual,   PS,   Cables.  . $40. 00  +  $6.50  S&H 

T/S1000  Tested  w/CPU,   Manual,    PS,   Cables. . $25. 00  +  $5.00  S&H 

T/S2050  Modem  Tested  w/  PS,   Specterm-64.  .  . $50 . 00  +  $5.00  S&H 

T/S2040  Printer  w/   1  roll  paper  $30.00  +  $5.00  S&H 

T/S1016  16K  rampack  $12.50  +  $3.50  S&H 

A  &  J  Microdrive  Tested  w/  2068   $5e>.  00  +  $5.00  S&H 

GE  Cassette  Recorder  Tested  w/  PS   $10.00  +  $3.50  S&H 

Z-SI/O  BB  partially  assembled,   w/  2050 . . . . $27. 00  +  $3.50  S&H 

T/S2068  Power  Supply  Only  (Used/Test ed)  ...$ 12.  50  +  $3.50  S&H 

Spectrum  Computer  Users  Manual  (new)  $10.00  +  $3.00  S&H 

NOTE:  All  T/S  hardware  is  subject  to  availability. 

RS-232  Ribbon  Cable  $12.50  +  $2.50  S&H 

Dual  Disk  Drive  Cable  30"  $12.50  +  $2.50  S&H 

Dual  Disk  Drive  Cable  42"  $15.50  +  $2.50  S&H 

Call  for  prices  on  ANY  other  computer  cables  

AERCO  Parallel  Centronics  Printer  I/F. . . $59. 95  +  $2.50  S&H 

2050  Modem  Cards  (new,    untested)  4/$12.00  +  $3.00  S&H 

2050  Modem  Power  Supplies  $5.95  +  $2.50  S&H 

   3/$  16.  00  +  $3.50  S&H 

Keyboards.  .  TI  99/ 4A,   48  key  $4.95  +  $3.50  S&H 

J   :  3/$12.00  +  $6.00  S&H 

Disk  Drive  Power  Supply  $12.50  +  $3.50  S&H 

+12V  ©  2. 6A,    +5V  @  1.  8A 

Disk  Drive  Cases  

5.  25 


5.  25' 
5.  25' 
5.  25' 
3.  50' 


HH,    single,    w/  power  supply   $59.95  +  S&H 

without  power  supply   $32.50  +  S&H 

FH,    single,   w/  power  supply  ...$69.95  +  S&H 

without  power  supply   $35.50  +  S&H 

HH,   dual,   w/  power  supply    $89.95  +  S&H 

without  power  supply   $35.  50  +  S&H 

FH,   dual,   w/  power  supply    $94.40  +  S&H 

without  power  supply   $39.  95  +  S&H 

single  or  dual,   w/  power  supply   $89.95  +  S&H 

without  power  supply   $35.  50  +  S&H 


Software  and  Literature 
Back  issues  of  Update  Magazine:  Make  your  library  conplete, 

1988  Year  Issues-  Covers  TS-2068  only  $18.00         Whole  3  yr  series— $48.00 

1989  Year  Issues-  QL  and  TS-2068  $18.00         Single  issues  $  6.00  ea 

1990  Year  Issues-  QL,  TS-2068,  some  Z88— $18.00 

Orders  to:  Bill  Jones,  1317  Stratford  Ave.,  Panama  City,  FL  32404  (Check  or  MO) 

LKDOS  OTfflRE 

"Daisy. B6"  and  "Udkm.B6"  are  two  extensive  softwares  for  LKDOS.    The  two  soft- 
wares are  fully  integrated  to  be  mutually  supporting  as  a  complete  system. 
Each  are  offered  separately  but  can  be  ordered  as  an  integrated  package. 

EftIS?.B6  —$26.00  Ddhll.B6  —$26.00  Both  Softwares  --$36.00 

Bill  Jones,  1317  Stratford  Ave,  Panama  City,  FL  32404.    Specify  40  or  80  tracks) 

"Daisy.B6  is  an  "Administrative"  software  that  provides  easy  to  create  Text 
Data  bases  with  helpful  Automatic  Administrative  Functions  (Auto  Letterheads, 
Business  Blocks,  signature  line,  and  Mail  Merge  Processing  of  form  letters).  The 
Theme  is  ''Disk  Data  Base  Management"  and  Automatic  Word  Processing,  (three  disks) 

,fUdbfl.B6fl  is  a  "Universal  Data  Base  Manager"  that  allows  one  to  create,  manage 
and  Word  process  all  types  of  data  bases  that  the  TS-2068  is  capable  of  handling. 
Includes  three  types  of  SEQUENTIAL  FILES  Data  Bases,  "page  macros",  Screen 
Macros,  paragraph  files,  Line  Files,    (two  disks) 

Between  the  two  programs  there  are  TEN  types  of  Data  bases,  each  flexible  to  suit 
user  needs.  Each  of  the  two  programs  Word  Processes  the  opposite  program's  data 
files,  either  singly  or  "Chain  Processing"  of  mixed  disk  data  files.  Menus 
provide  cross  over  between  programs. 

The  following  Programs  are  included,  and  each  will  be  given  separately  as  UPDATE 
MAGAZINE  ISSUE  DISKS  as  publication  space  permits  in  future  issues  of  the 
magazine. 

1.  "Dbx.B6",  is  a  RECORD  type  data  base  manager  and  word  processor.  An 
independant  program  to  create  any  type  of  RECORD  File.  Used  with  Daisy  to  create 
Mail  Merge  files.  Used  alone  to  create  other  data  bases,  print  labels  from  a 
Disk  File. 

2.  "Cdhse. B6",  is  a  Code  ASCII  Data  File  Manager.  Directly  word  processes  any 
type  of  Code  Ascii  File.  Transforms  Chr  Arry  files  to  Mscript  or  Tasword. 
Transforms  Mscript,  Tasword,  Modem  files  to  Chr  Array  files  for  Editing, 
inclusion  in  other  Dbases,  word  processing. 

3.  "Dfc>tr.B6",  is  a  Universal  Word  Processor  that  prints  10  types  of  data  files 
"from  disk"  automatically.  From  one  to  50  Disk  Data  files  may  be  printed  in  any 
sequence  desired,  singly  or  in  a  continuous  document.  All  you  do  is  INPUT  the 
File  names  to  be  word  processed. 

4.  rHacro.B6",  is  a  program  to  create,  edit,  color,  and  print-out  SCREEN  FILES. 
Also  uses  the  screen  as  a  data  base. 

OTHER  TS-2068  Disk  Systems:  As  time  permits  I  will  convert  all  of  the  above 
programs  for  operation  with  Oliger  DOS  and  Aerco  FD-68  (if  sufficient  interest  is 
expressed.    Drop  me  an  interest    card).     -Bill  Jones_ 


4 


*<*  HIBISCUS 

A  TS-2068   Software  System 
Five  Major  Softwares  Coordinated 
By:  Bill  Jones 

The  five  Softwares  are:  Daisy. B6,  Dbi.BS, 
Udbm.B6,  Uptr.B6,  Cdbse.BS,  and  are  each 
independant  softwares  designed  to  operate  alone  or 
in  coordination  with  each  other.  All  are 
programmed  primarily  in  Basic  with  code  utilities 
used  as  needed  where  speed  is  essential . 
Generally,  these  softwares  make  extensive  use  of 
the  TS-2068  Variable  file  and  the  computer's  ROM 
for  Data  Base  and  Disk  Drive  Management.  All  of 
the  softwares  allow  easy  access  to  the  computer's 
Basic  mode.  Basic  functions  can  be  performed,  and 
when  finished  the  software  can  be  re-entered. 

A  range  of  Disk  Management  functions  are 
available  at  menus  to  allow  "Disk  Library 
Management"  during  program  operation,  and  return 
to  Program  Menu.  These  functions  allow  us  to 
manage  from  one  to  four  disk  drives  "while  the 
software  is  in  use".  The  functions  include:  Disk 
Catalog  View  or  Copy  to  Paper:  Disk  File  Erase  : 
Screen  Pile  view,  paint,  create,  edit,  or  Copy  to 
paper:  Disk  Data  File  View  or  LPRINT:  Data  File 
SAVE:  Data  File  LOAD:  Data  File  Delete.  The  use 
of  these  disk  management  utilities  "without 
compromise  of  program  parameters"  adds 
immeasurably  to  the  job  of  Data  Base  Management, 
especially  for  reading  orientation  during  the  task 
of  creating  a  data  base  or  in  preparation  for  word 
processing, 

Concepts  of  Software  Integration 

fiith  Disk  Drive 

Computer  memory  and  disk  drive  storage  are 
fully  coordinated.  Disk  Data  Storage  is  used  as 
if  disk  space  is  an  extension  of  computer  memory. 
Data  Files  are  sent  to  disk  as  cumulative  segments 
of  the  same  document.  Disk  Data  files  are 
returned  to  memory  for  editing,  re-save,  or  word 
processing. 

The  Printer  is  controlled  by  each  software. 
Each  program  makes  use  of  a  common  utility  in  disk 
named  "Init.B6*  which  Merges  as  needed  to 
Initialize  the  DOS,  the  Printer,  and  to  establish 
a  print  style.  The  Init  utility  is  programmed  for 
Epson  compatable  printers  and  may  be  adjusted  for 
other  printer  makes. 

There  are  two  methods  used  to  conserve 
computer  memory  in  order  to  provide  extended 
software  functions.  One  is  to  use  the  disk  to 
store  a  plethora  of  menus  that  are  organized  by 
functions.  These  full  screen  menus  are 
"subjective"   providing  a  range  of  options  for  the 


tasks  at  hand.  There  are  more  than  a  dozen  of 
these  menus  and  their  storage  in  disk  reduces  the 
overall  computer  memory  use  by  the  main  program, 
thus  providing  more  software  capability  and  more 
data  management  capacity.  The  right  menu  for  the 
job  task  in  progress  "pops  on  screen  from  disk"  as 
needed  during  program  operation. 

The  second  method  is  to  store  "sections  of 
the  program"  in  disk,  on  stand-by,  for  use  by  the 
main  program.  As  functions  are  elected  at  menu, 
the  proper  "program  segment"  MERGES  to  the  main 
program.  When  its  job  is  fininshed  the  program 
segment  is  DELETED  from  the  main.  As  an  example, 
the  Daisy  program  has  about  twenty  such  program 
segments  stored  in  disk.  Their  total  size,  if 
added  to  the  main  program  would  exceed  the 
Computer's  memory  capacity  by  far.  Of  course,  if 
the  computer's  memory  were  completely  filled  with 
such  a  large  program  then  there  would  be  no  space 
at  all  to  create  or  manage  data. 

The  combination  of  these  methods  allows  the 
Daisy  software  to  be  so  large  and  comprehensive 
that  requires  two  360K  disks  to  contain  the 
programming.  All  of  the  five  main  softwares  use 
these  methods  to  provide  a  wide  range  of  both  Data 
Base  Management  and  Word  Processing,  and  maximum 
data  file  lengths. 

The  Five  Halo  Hybiscus  Programs 

"DAISY.B6"  is  a  software,  originally  named 
"Smart  Text",  that  has  evolved  over  a  period  of 
about  7  years.  When  Smart  Text  out-grew  the 
memory  capacity  of  the  TS-2068  the  methods 
described  above  were  used  to  expand  the  program 
still  further  for  the  disk  drive  environment. 
Thus  "Daisy. B6"  emerged.  The  software  then  became 
a  "Disk  Data  Base  Manager"  and  Word  Processor. 

In  1987,  as  Daisy  was  being  developed,  it 
became  the  software  used  for  publishing  Update 
Magazine.  Publishing  brings  forth  many  various 
needs  for  both  Word  Processing  and  Data 
Management.  As  these  needs  surfaced  they  were 
added  to  the  Daisy  functions.  One  such  need  was 
"offset  word  processing",  where  columns  could  be 
printed  as  masters  to  be  overlayed  and  copied. 
This  feature,  when  elected,  automatically  sets  the 
printer  to  Condensed  style  and  50  chr  lines.  The 
text  file  (or  files)  are  then  word  processed  as 
"alternate  columns".  Another  need  was  for 
"Centered  Headers"  to  be  automatically  printed 
above  or  below  paragraphs  during  word  processing. 
This  was  added  with  the  ability  to  elect  "Large 
Headers",  When  large  headers  are  needed  the 
software  automatically  changes  the  printer  mode  to 
"Double  High"  characters,  center  prints  the 
header,  spaces  down  a  line,  and  then  returns  to 
standard  characters  to  continue  word  processing, 

The  theme   of  Daisy   is  to   provide  automatic 


5 


functions  to  lessen  the  distraction  while  Creating 
Data  and  to  "take  over"  and  accomplish  functions 
that  normally  require  much  time  to  do  manually. 
Automatic  Letterhead,  Business  Block,  and 
signature  line  support  letter  processing. 
Automatic  Formatting  for  Centered  Text  printing  is 
another  feature.  Centered  Large  Headers  is 
another.    Mail  Merge  is  still  another. 

With  Daisy  we  can  type  the  text  of  a  letter 
and  then  use  mailing  lists  stored  in  disk  to  print 
the  same  letter  to  from  2  to  literally  hundreds  of 
persons,  each  letter  individually  addressed,  each 
with  our  own  letterhead  and  signature  line.  And, 
Daisy  will  word  process  any  number  of  disk  data 
files,  either  singly  or  in-chain  "from  disk". 

Daisy  provides  two  data  base  files.  The 
primary  data  base  is  a  multiple  "paragraph  file", 
and  the  other  a  data  base  for  creating  "Outlines" 
as  in  a  college  class  outline  having  major  topics 
and  a  group  of  miner  topics  of  each  major. 

An  "annex"  of  Daisy  is  a  MERGE  program  called 
"usrpgm.B6".  This  program  (in  disk)  can  be 
modified  by  the  user  to  schedule  "just  anything" 
that,  is  possible  to  Print -out.  Also  it  is  a 
"sequencer"  for  disk  data  files  to  be  chain  word 
processed,  and  for  individual  paragraphs  within  to 
be  sequenced  by  paragraph.  The  usrpgm  program  is 
normally  MERGED  to  schedule  the  main  text  data 
bast(s)  for  word  processing  of  memory  or  Disk 
files  "in  the  existing  paragraph  sequence".  The 
versatility  of  word  processing  can  be  greatly 
increased  by  user  changes  in  the  usrpgm  program 
1 ines . 

Daisy  also  does  an  outstanding  job  of 
printing  labels  and  envelopes.  Mail  Files  created 
with  the  next  program  to  be  discussed  are  loaded 
by  Daisy  for  printing  labels  or  envelopes  that  are 
on  tractor  forms 

fte  "Dta  J"  Software 

* B6  is  a  "Records  Data  Base"  and  word 
processor.  Originally  this  software  was  named 
"Mail  Merge"  and  has  since  been  expanded  to 
provide  Sorting  and  Search/Find  functions  as  well 
as  "user  defined  data  base  dimensions".  Dbx.B6 
Loads  and  operates  independantly,  and  it  is  also 
MERGED  to  the  Daisy  software  when  selected  to 
create  smaller  Mail  Files  to  be  used  for  Mail 
Merge,  or  to  create  such  files  as  "Invoice  Files". 
The  Record  Data  base  is  flexible,  in  that  the  user 
elects  the  dimensions  of  the  records.  For 
example,  a  Mailing  List  may  be  needed  having 
records  of  4  1 ines  and  30  characters  per  line.  Or 
an  Inventory  file  could  be  3  lines  of  12 
characters  per  line.  Or  a  set  of  Invoice  files 
may  be  4  lines  of  48  characters  each. 

Sorting:  Whatever  the  file  dimensions  may  be, 
the  file  may   be  selectively   Sorted  by   any  line, 


and  by  either  "first  group  or  last  group"  within 
the  sorting  line.  This  flexible  sorting 
capability  is  the  key  to  the  data  base  being 
adaptable  for  any  type  of  Records  Data  Base 
imaginable. 

Search  and  Find  is  another  function  of  the 
Dbx.B6  program.  We  can  input  a  search  word  and 
search  any  line  of  the  records.  When  found  the 
entire  record  is  displayed.  <Continue>  resumes 
the  search  and  the  next  Found  Record  is  displayed, 
or  a  Not  Found  report  is  given. 

A  word  processor  is  included  in  the  Dbx 
program.  The  word  processor  is  used  to  print-out 
the  whole  list,  a  partial  list,  or  to  print  Labels 
or  Envelopes  on  Tractor  forms. 

Dbx.B6  likely  produces  the  largest  data  file 
of  any  software  for  the  TS-2068.  As  many  as  350 
Mail  Files  (4  lines  of  26  chrs  per  line)  may  be 
created.  Or  an  inventory  file  of  550  Inventory 
records  (3  lines  of  20  chrs)  can  be  developed. 

But  for  creating  record  files  to  be  processed 
by  the  Daisy  program  one  must  keep  in  mind  that 
the  files  could  be  larger  than  that  program  can 
process. 

The  KUk£  Software 

[Jdbin  stands  for  "Universal  Data  Base 
Manager".  This  is  a  new  software  designed  to 
create,  manage,  and  word  process  all  of  the  types 
of  data  bases  that  the  TS-2068  and  the  Larken  Disk 
System  can  manage.  Udbm.B6  manages  7  types  of 
data  files  as  follows: 

1.  Character  Array  Paragraph  Files  (Identical 
to  the  Daisy. B6  Text  File) 

2.  Character  Array  Line  Files  of  the  user's 
desired  line  length. 

3.  Page  Macros:  Chr  Array  Line  files  of 
finite  number  of  lines  of  the  user's  preferred 
line  length. 

4.  Sequential  Paragraph  Files:  Paragraphs 
are  sent  to  an  opened  Seq  file.  The  file  may  be 
from  short  to  enoromous  length. 

5.  Sequential  Line  Files:  Line  files  of  the 
users  desired  line  length  are  sent  to  an  opened 
Seq  file  in  disk.  The  total  number  of  lines  may 
be  from  one  to  hundreds. 

6.  Sequential  Page  Macros:  Same  as  Line 
files  except  that  the  program  terminates  the  file 
when  a  "page  length"  is  entered. 

7.  Screen  Macro  Files:    The  screen  is  used 
to   create  a  formatted  data   base  to  be  saved 

to  disk  as  a  screen  file...  Or  we  can  create  menu 
screens  and  save  them  to  disk. .  Or  any  Screen 
File  in  disk  may  be  loaded  to  be  edited,  painted, 
or  copied  to  paper. 

The  Udbrn  Software  also  provides  a  Word 
Processor  for  all  of  its  data  files.  The  word 
processor  pulls  data  files    from  disk    drive  and 


6 


processes  them  either  singly  or  in-chain  in  a 
continuous  document  print-out. 

flie  MUptr.B6H  Software 

H 

I  stands  for  "Universal  Word  Processor". 
It  has  all  of  the  capabilities  of  the  word 
processor  described  with  the  Udbm  program  above, 
plus  the  ability  to  Word  Process  "Mixed  Piles"  of 
all  of  the  10  types  of  files  created  with  the 
Daisy,  Dbx,  Udbm,  and  the  Cdbse  program  yet  to  be 
discussed.  The  Uptr  program  presents  a  disk 
catalog  as  a  menu  to  input  the  file  names  to  be 
word  processed.  One  file  name,  or  up  to  50  file 
names  say  be  keyed  in  from  the  catalog  listing. 
Some  of  these  files  may  be  "pre-formatted  line 
files"  and  others  may  be  un-formatted  paragraph 
files. 

As  file  names  are  keyed  in  the  word  processor 
"samples"  the  file  and  detects  if  the  file  is 
already  formatted  into  lines,  and  if  so,  the 
file's  line  length  is  recorded  in  a  buffer  to  be 
recalled  to  set  the  line  length  and  margins  during 
word  processing. 

When  all  file  names  to  be  processed  are 
entered  into  the  "scheduler"  the  program  proceeds 
to  word  process  all  files  elected,  as  a  single 
continuous  document  print  out.  Line  files  are 
printed  to  paper  "in  their  already  formatted"  line 
lengths.  Un-formatted  files  are  word  processed  to 
the  user's  input  desired  line  length.  Headers  are 
printed  if  present  in  the  files  being  word 
processed.  The  result  is  a  word  processed 
document  that  can  contain  from  one  to  fifty  disk 
data  files,  all  files  joined  and  sequenced  in  the 
order  selected.  The  types  of  files  word  processed 
may  be: 

1.  The  Daisy  and  Udbm  Text  paragraph  files. 

2.  Sequential  paragraph  files. 

3.  Sequential  Line  Files. 

4.  Page  Macro  Line  Files. 

5.  Sequential  Page  Macro  Files. 

6.  The  Dbx  Record  files. 

7.  The  Daisy  Outline  Files. 

8.  Code  Ascii  files  that  have  been  transposed 
into  Page  Macro  Files. 

9.  Code  Ascii  Files  that  have  been  transposed 
into  Sequential  line  files. 

10.  Screen  Macro  Files. 

TEXT  ORIENTATION:  The  use  of  the  "built  in" 
Disk  Library  manager  allows  the  user  to 
selectively  view  the  data  within  any  disk  data 
file.  The  Viewing  of  several  files  before  word 
processing  them  can  be  a  big  help  in  selecting  the 
data  files  to  be  word  processed,  and  deciding  the 
sequence  order  for  them  to  be  processed.  The 
word   processor  needs  all  data  files  to  be  "in  the 


same  disk".  But  during  operation  the  disk 
utilities  can  be  used  and  if  data  files  need  to  be 
transfered  one  can  break-in  and  LOAD  a  data  file 
from  one  disk,  then  re-save  it  to  the  disk  to  be 
used  for  word  processing.  <CONTINUE>  will  then 
resume  program  operation.  Such  is  the  flexibility 
of  choice  when  operating  Basic  programs. 

The  Uptr  program  word  processes  such  mixtures 
of  Data  base  files  as;  Random  length 
two- dimensioned  character  array  files,  Random 
length  Sequential  Data  base  files,  Record 
Character  array  files  of  three  dimensions,  Outline 
"twin  character  arrays"  of  two  and  three 
dimensions,  Page  length  character  array  line 
files,  Indefinite  length  Character  array  Line 
Files,  Sequential  line  files,  Sequential  Page 
Macro  Files,  and  such  files  as  created  by  the 
Cdbse  program  to  be  discussed  next. 

file  MCdbse,B6H  Software 

vuyoc  stands  for  Code  Data  Base.  This  is 
an  unusual  program  that  manages  Code  Ascii  files 
"outside  of  their  home  software  environment".  If 
there  is  anything  traditional  about  computer 
software  it  is  the  "exclusivity"  of  data  files, 
and  the  inability  to  process  data  files  "except  by 
using  the  software  that  created  the  data  file". 
Here- to-fore  any  data  file,  to  be  managed, 
required  the  data  file  to  be  loaded  to  "The 
Software  that  created  the  file".  Indeed,  if  we 
intend  to  manage  "just  one  data  file"  then  the 
most  efficient  way  to  do  it  is  to  "Load  the 
software  that  created  the  data".  But  perhaps  we 
may  want  to  manage  two  or  more  data  files  created 
by  Mscript,  Tasword,  or  Mterm. 

Tasword  files  wont  dance  with  Mscript,  nor 
Mterm,  and  none  will  associate  with  the  other. 
(We  could  relate  this  to  some  of  the  World's 
social  problems,  eh?) 

Anyway,  while  publishing  Update  Magazine 
there  were  numerous  occasions  when  there  was  a 
need  to  mingle  Tasword,  Mscript,  and  Mterm  "Code 
Ascii  Files",  and  the  capability  was  not  present 
in  our  vast  TS-2068  software  library.. 

"Cdbse. B6H  was  developed  originally  and  given 
to  public  domain  as  the  program  named  "MS-TAS". 
That  program  would  "read  and  word  process"  any 
Code  Ascii  file  that  was  originally  created  with 
the  Tasword  or  Mscript  programs. 

Further  needs  resulted  in  the  expansion  of 
the  original  program.  Now,  Cdbse  does  much  more. 
There  was  a  need  to  be  able  to  "join"  Code  Ascii 
Files  and  to  word  process  them  "in-chain"  with 
other  data  base  files  "of  the  Sequential  files  and 
the  Character  array  Files"  varieties.  An  Editing 
capability  was  needed  for  Code  Ascii  Files  when 
processing  the  files  "outside  of  their  "Mother's 
environment".     So,  two  more  Annex   programs  were 


"Opt 


developed  and  the  main  program  was  re-named  to 
become  "Cdbse. B6". 

Cdbse.B6  works  on  DISK  DATA  FILES  that  were 
Saved  by  Mscript,  Tasword,  or  Mterm.  These  are 
"Code  Ascii  Files"  stored  in  disk.  The 
composition  of  these  code  files  is  Mpre-formatted 
lines".  Each  of  the  files  have  different  ways  of 
separating  the  lines  and  formatting  between 
paragraphs. 

The  Cdbse  program  gives  us  a  Menu  of 
management  options.  The  first  job  to  accomplish 
is  to  LOAD  a  code  file  from  disk.  The  Cdbse 
program  LOADS  one  of  these  different  code  files, 
and  then  DISPLAYS  the  text  data  on  screen.  We 
must  then  examine  the  displayed  text  and  determine 
the  "Line  Length"  that  the  text  is  formatted  to. 
We  only  need  to  see  the  first  few  lines  of  a  data 
file  to  examine  and  find  the  formatted  line 
length.  Once  the  line  length  is  determined,  we 
"Jab  Break"  to  avoid  having  the  whole  text  file 
scroll  to  its  end.  When  we  discontinue  the 
viewing  of  the  file,  the  program  prompts  for  INPUT 
LINE  LENGTH.  Then  the  Menu  is  returned  to  screen, 
and  we  are  ready  for  the  options  for  processing 
the  data  file.  The  options  at  Menu  are  (not  in 
order) : 

<5>  Word  Process  the  Code  File.  This 
elective  prints  the  code  file  in  the  format  that 
its  "mother  program"  had  formatted  it  (line  length 
and  spacing). 

<4>  Move  Code  to  a  Sequential  File.  This 
reads  the  code  file  being  processed  into  a 
Sequential  File  of  Lines,  in  disk,  which  can  be 
later  word  processed  either  singly  or  "in  chain" 
with  data  files  of  9  other  types  (The  Daisy  and 
Udbm  Data  Files). 

<6>  Pagenate  File.  This  elective  results  in 
the  Code  File  being  processed  and  changed  into 
either  "Page  Length"  or  indefinite  length 
Character  array  File?  of  Lines,  which  also  may  be 
word  processed  singly  or  in-chain  with  9  other 
Daisy  and  Udbm  data  file  types. 

<7>  Codenate  a  Data  Base.  This  elective 
"reverses  the  electives  4  and  6  above.  Existing 
Sequential  Files  or  Character  Array  files  in  disk 
may  be  loaded  and  transformed  into  either  Mscript 
or  Tasword  Code  files  to  be  processed  by  those  two 
programs.  As  the  files  are  transformed  they  are 
formatted  to  a  desired  line  length  and  codes  added 
for  recognition  by  the  Mscript  of  Tasword 
programs. 

Electives  4  and  6  above  will  provide  the 
capability  to  EDIT  the  lines  of  the  transposed 
Code  file,  which  are  now  in  Character  array  form. 
Editing  is  accomplished  by  using  the  Udbm.B6 
program. 


Hybiscus  Availability 

All  of  the  Hybiscus  softwares  (except  the 
long  Daisy  program)  will  be  published  as  Tutorial 
programs  in  the  1991  issues  of  Update  Magazine, 
and  possibly  in  User  Group  Newsletters  (in  order 
to  hasten  the  presentation).  The  articles  will  be 
documentation  acclumulative  to  the  manual  and  the 
extensive  HELP  files  contained  in  the  Five  disks 
provided  with  the  softwares.  The  Hybiscus 
ensemble  will  be  split  into  two  Issue  Disks,  named 
"Daisy"  and  "Udbm.B6",  and  will  be  made  available 
for  ordering.  Or,  the  whole  ensemble  of  five 
disks  and  manual  may  be  ordered  from  me  as  a 
package  for  the  price  of  $38.00. 

Previous  purchasers  of  the  Daisy  Software  may 
return  their  original  disks  for  replacement  with 
the  up-graded  Daisy  Software  for  $4.00  mailing 
costs. 

The  distribution  of  this  software  ensemble  is 
intended  to  be  at  the  lowest  cost  possible  to 
defray  distribution  expenses.  As  most  TS-2Q6S 
users  know,  I  am  always  available  for  telephone 
help,  and  I  enjoy  talking  with  other  Sinclair 
Timex  users. 

Bill  Jones.    (904  871  4513) 

1317  Stratford  Ave. 

Panama  City,  FL  32404 


The  Issue  Dish 

Two  issue  Disks  are  now  available  from  Update 
Magazine.  Please  specify  for  either  40  or  80 
Track  Drive. 

Daisy =B6  Ensemble,  For  LKDOS  Systems  only. 
Includes  all  programs  described  in  the  article 
except  the  Udbm.B6  software. 

Price:    $22.00  post  paid. 

Udbm.B6  Ensemble.  For  LKDOS  Systems  only. 
Includes  all  programs  described  in  the  article 
except  the  Daisy. B6  software. 

Price:    $22.00   post  paid. 

Oliger  DOS  Users  who  are  interested  in 
obtaining  this  software  please  send  an  Interest 
Card.  If  at  least  ten  SAFE  users  express  interest 
a  Version  will  be  programmed  and  supplied. 

Issue  Disk  Orders  to:  Update  Magazine 

P.O.Box  toqs 

Peru,  IN  46970 


6 


OL I GER  AUTD-HENU 


by  Bill  F errebee 

I  have  owned  and  programed  on  the  TS2068  since  its  intro- 
duction. But  finally  in  the  past  month  I  have  converted  to  disk 
drive.  I  obtained  not  one,  but  TWO  disk  interfaces  -  0LI6ER  and 
LARKEN .   Until    now   I   have  relied  on  my   lowly  cassette  recorder. 

To  avoid  "technology  shock",  I  decided  to  concentrate  on 
learning  one  T/S  DOS  at  a  time.  I  flipped  a  coin,  and  the  Oliger 
system  won  out. 

I'm  glad  that  I  did  start  with  the  Oliger.  The  DOS  is  a 
natural  extension  to  cassette  I/O  commands.  Simply  add  a  "/" 
between  the  command  and  the  filename  (ex:  LOAD/  "abc"),  and  the 
disk  interface  does  the  rest.  (By  the  way,  the  most  recent 
version  of  Oliger  DOS  is  2.55) 

Instead  of  waiting  2-3  minutes  for  a  program  to  load,  I'm 
ready  to  work  in  2  -  3  seconds!  The  Oliger  also  auto-verifys  all 
SAVEs,   so  I  save  even  more  time! 

For  a  New  Year's  resolution,  I  have  set  a  deadline  of  December 
3lf  1991  to  have  al I  of  my  software  converted  to  disk.  To  make 
the  goal  even  harder  to  attain,  I  am  only  going  to  use  the  NMI 
save  when  there  is  no  way  to  break  and  modi  fy  a  program. 

To  start  my  assult  on  this  challange,  I  decided  to  convert  all 
of  the  programs  (except  for  the  Larken  utilities)  on  my  BYTE 
POWER  magazine  tapes  to  Oliger  format.  I  also  converted  their 
Desktop  Publishing  package,   PRINT  FACTORY. 

X  felt  the  best  way  to  collect  these  programs  on  disk  would  be 
by  catagory,  such  as  Arcade  Games,  Graphics,  Buisness,  etc.  With 
12  tapes  of  material  to  work  with  (not  including  PRINT  FACTORY) , 
I  knew  I  would  end  up  with   full   disks  for  each  catagory. 

I  knew  that  the  Oliger  DOS  reserves  Track  0  for  the  disk 
catalog,  as  well  as  room  to  include  an  Auto-Start  menu  program. 
I  also  wanted  my  converted  disks  to  run  and  look  as  professional 
as  possible.  So  I  devised  a  very  simple,  yet  good-looking  menu 
system. 

The  simplicity  comes  from  using  INKEY*  to  facilitate  program 
selection.  It  allows  almost  instantaneous  loading  of  a  program, 
while  providing  efficient  error-trapping. 

The  professional  look  comes  from  the  use  of  a  SCREENS  as  the 
menu  itself.  The  SCREENS  can  be  created  with  any  TS2068  graphics 
program  (I  used  BYTE  POWER'S  "QUICK  SCREEN").  Through  the  use  of 
a  variety  of  fonts  and  graphics,  an  attractive,  yet  functional 
menu  can  be  designed. 

The  listing  accompaning  this  article  is  the  one  I  designed  to 
use  with  the  PRINT  FACTORY  package.  It  can  be  easily  modified  to 
suit  your  needs.  I  have  also  included  a  few  of  the  "menu" 
SCREENS  I  created  for  various  disks. 

Once  you  have  your  listing  completed,  save  it  with:  SAVE/  0  . 
Then  it  can  be  loaded  with:   LOAD  CENTER] . 


9 


To  complete  the  system,  you  need  to  modify  each  program  on  the 
disk  to  return  to  the  "menu"  when  you  quit  a  program.  Break  into 
each  program,  and  determine  where  it  "quits".  At  this  point,  add 
the  command:  CLEAR  65535s  LOAD  .  This  will  reset  the  computer 
and  reload  the  menu. 

I  hope  you  get  as  much  use  out  of  this  idea  as  I  have.  Let  me 
see  what  great    looking   "menus"  you  come  up  with   for  your  disks! 


OLIGER  Menu  Program  for   'PRINT  FACTORY* 

CLS 


BORDER  1:   PAPER   1:  INK 
LOAD  / " PFMENU " SCREEN* 
IF   INKEY*<>""  THEN  GO  TO  5 
IF   INKEY*=" "   THEN  GO  TO  6 
IF   INKEY*«"0"   THEN  LOAD  /"FIRST1. 

THEN  LOAD  /"FIRST1, 
THEN  LOAD  /"PRESS" 
THEN  LOAD  /"LETTER* 


IF  INKEYS-" 1 " 
IF  INKEY*="2" 
IF  INKEY*»"3" 
IF  INKEY*="4'« 
IF  INKEY*="5" 
IF  INKEY*="6" 
INKEY*«"7" 
INKEY*="8" 
INKEY* 
INKEY* 
INKEY*«"q 


1 
2 
5 
6 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 

22  GO  TO  6 

25  PRINT  AT  21,8; "Are  you  sure?<y/n)" 

26  IF  INKEY*<>""  THEN  GO  TO  26 

27  IF  INKEY***""  THEN  GO  TO  27 

28  IF  INKEY*»"Y"  OR  INKEY*="y"  THEN  RANDOMIZE  USR  0 

29  IF  INKEY*»,,N"  OR  INKEY*«"n"  THEN  RUN 

30  GO  TO  27 


IF 
IF 
IF 
IF 
IF 


THEN  LOAD 
THEN  LOAD 
THEN  LOAD 
THEN  LOAD 
THEN  LOAD 
9"  THEN  LOAD 
p"  THEN  LOAD 


•LABELER" 

•CARDMAKER" 

•BANNER" 

•QUICKSCRN" 

•CREATOR*" 

•FILEKEEPER" 

•COPIER" 


PR  I 

s 

E 
L 
E 
C 
T 


]  CO 1989  BYTE  POWER 

THE 
NT  FACTORY 


t:? 


QUICK  SCREEN 
The  CREATOR* 
The  FILE  KEEPE.k„ 
The  SCREEN  COPIER 
QUIT 


OLIGER 


THEN  GO  TO  25 


i 922222332329999999999999999999 

5YTE  POWER 


IBUISNESSB^iDISKi 


"RRCRDE  m 5  DISK  Of* 
*?  SELECT  *? 


SPEED  COMPARISON  BETWEEN 
20  68  PASCAL  and  COMPILED  BASIC  (TIMACHINE) 


by  Larry  Kenny 


Recently,   I  have  been  working  on  using  my  Timex/Sinclair  2068  to 
control  a  3-axis  drilling/routing  machine  using  stepper  motors.    To  make 
the  machine  move  in  arcs  and  circles  I  needed  to  use  the  sine  and  cosine 
functions  in  the  Timex/Sinclair  2068  ROM.    After  trying  some  BASIC  and 
machine  language  (using  the  floating  point  interpreter)  routines  I  found 
that  the  program  couldn't  run  nearly  fast  enough  to  keep  the  machine 
busy  at  full  speed. 

I  asked  David  Solly-  who  is  a  long  time  HiSoft  Pascal  user,  to  write 
me  a  test  program  using  its  sine/cosine  functions  so  I  could  test  it 
against  Timex/Sinclair  2068  BASIC  and  compiled  BASIC. 

The  test  program  plots  around  a  circle  100  times.     Here  are  the 
results . 

Timex/Sinclair  2068  BASIC  interpreted    150  seconds 

Compiled  BASIC  (Timachine)    126  seconds 

HI-SOFT  PASCAL    18  seconds 

Wow!     The  Pascal  really  flies  even  when  doing  floating  point  math. 
It  has  all  its  own  math  routines  built  in  and  doesn't  do  any  ROM  calls. 
That  also  means  that  the  compiled  code  can  be  burnt  into  an  eprom  and 
run  on  a  Z80  based  CPU  without  the  Timex  ROM  resident. 

The  compiled  BASIC  is  only  slightly  faster  that  regular  BASIC  when 
the  floating  point  routines  are  used.     Even  calling  the  Timex/Sinclair 
2068  floating  point  routines  from  machine  code  doesn't  make  much 
difference . 

If  you  are  writing  a  program  that  does  a  lot  of  calculation  such  as 
a  spread  sheet,   3d  graphics,  or  CAD  etc,  Pascal  will  far  out  perform 
BASIC. 

Anyone  interested  in  Timex/Sinclair  2068  Pascal  can  leave  a  message 
on  the  Ottawa  TS  BBS  at   (613)745-8838.     If  you  have  a  LKDOS  disk  system 
I  have  converted  Pascal's  internal  file  routines  for  disk  instead  of 
tape.     There  are  also  numerous  Pascal  source  files  on  the  BBS.1 


The  version  of  HiSoft  Pascal  which  has  been  converted  to 
address  the  Larken  system  is  1.7M  which  requires  the  use  of 
a  Spectrum  emulator  ROM  to  run  on  the  Timex/Sinclair  2068. 
For  additional  information  write  to:     David  Solly,  Sysop, 
Sir  Clive's  Castle  BBS,   1402-1545  Alta  Vista  Drive,  Ottawa, 
Ontario,  Canada  K1G  3P4. 


1  1 


Timex/Sinclair  2068  BASIC    Circle  Listing 


5    REM  !  OPEN  #         (Timachine  only) 

10  LET  RAD  -  50 

20  FOR  A-0  TO  628  STEP  .5 

30  PLOT  80  +  RAD  *  SIN  A  ,  80  +  RAD  *  COS  A 
40  NEXT  A 

50  PRINT  "END  OF  PROGRAM  " 


HISOFT  Pascal  circle  listing 


1  PROGRAM  CIRCLE; 

2  PROCEDURE  PLOT    (ON   :   BOOLEAN;    X, Y   :  INTEGER); 

3  BEGIN 

4  IF  ON  THEN  WRITE (CHR (21) , CHR ( 0) ) 

5  ELSE  WRITE      (CHR (21) , CHR (1) ) ; 

6  INLINE    (#FD,    #21,    #3A,  #5C, 

7  #DD,    #46,    2,    #DD,    #4E,  4, 

8  #CD,   #E5,  #22); 

9  END; 

10  PROCEDURE  CIRC; 

11  CONST  RAD  -=50; 

12  VAR 

13  A   :   REAL;   ON   :  BOOLEAN; 

14  BEGIN 

15  A  :=  0;  ON  :=  TRUE; 

16  REPEAT 

17  PLOT    (ON,    ENTIER (80  +  RAD   *  SIN(A)), 

18  ENTIER (80  +  RAD  *  COS (A) ) ) ; 

19  A        A  +  0.5; 

20  UNTIL  A  >  628; 

21  END; 

22  BEGIN   ( *MAIN  PROGRAM*) 

23  CIRC; 

24  WRITELN    ( ' END  OF  PROGRAM'); 

25  END. 


Sir  Clive's  Castle  BBS 


ZX  SPECTRUM          *          T/S  2068 

QWERTYUIOP 
ASDFGHJKL  RET 
ZXCVBNMSSP 

LKDOS 

1402-1545  Alta  Vista  Drive 
Ottawa,  Ontario 
Canada 
K1G  3P4 


(613)745-8838 

300/1200  Baud 
24  Hours  A  Day 


Message  Bases 

Sinclair  Computer  Information 

Sinclair  File  Transfers 

LARKEN  DOS  SIG 

Pascal  Programming  SIG 

No  User  Fees! 

1 1 


NEW  QL    ISSUE   DISK  FOR  UPDATE  MAGAZINE 


We  are  proud  to  once  again  be  able  to  offer  to  our 
subscribers  another  piece  of  OL  software  done  by  a  North  American. 
For  those  who  have  need  of  learning  how  the  MS-DOS  world  of 
computing  works,   or  who  have  to  work  with   them  at  work  and  have 
grown  comfortable  with  them... we  now  have  QLUMSI !   This  will  allow 
your  QL  to  act  darn  near  as   if  it  was  an   IBM  compatible.   For  those 
with  a  QL  who  have  contemplated  buying  Solution  or  PC  Conqueror,  it 
will  provide  an  inexpensive  way  to  decide   if  you  want  to  invest  the 
money.   This  program   is  available  on  disk   from  UPDATE  COMPUTER 
SYSTEMS  for  $22.00.   Other  programs  are  added  to  help  fill   the  disk. 


QLuMSi  DOS 


QLuMSi  DOS   ( QL . using . M » cr^S" ft . interface  Disk  Operating  Simulation) 
is  a  MEMory_RESident   front-end  program  which  will  give  your  QL  much 
of  the   look  and   feel  of  an   industry  standard  personal  computer  by 
converting  standard  DOS  syntax  to  QDOS  syntax  at- the-PROMPT. 

Note:     an   implicit    ' <ENTER>*    follows  statements  such  as 

"Typing   'HELP*    ...    "  within  the  text  explanations. 

The  following  COMMANDS  are  supported   (Typing   "HELP"  will  display 
this  list): 


CLS  COPY  DATE  DEL 

DIR  FORMAT  FREE  MEM 

PRINT  RENAME  STAT  TIME 

TYPE  VER  VIEW 


Typing   "HELP   ..."    (where  is  the  name  of  a  supported  command) 

will  reveal  more  detailed  information. 


Typing   "BASIC"   allows  you  to  QUIT  the  program  shell. 

You  can  toggle  to  SuperBASIC  with  a    ' ConTRoL  C   key  combination. 

The  PATH   is  the  dr i ve_dev ice .     The  beginning  PATH   is   » A : ' / ' f lpl_' . 
To  change  to   'flp2_'    simply  type   'b:'   or    'B:'    followed  by  the 
ENTERJkey.     To  change  to   'mdvl_'   simply  type   'm:'   or   'M:';  etc. 

As  you  probably  know,    the   industry  standard  DOS  for  microcomputers 
is  a  non-mult i-TASKing  environment.     As   in  the  industry  standard 
environment,   simply  typing  a  valid   ' I f i lename . ext ] '   at  the  PROMPT 
will  EXEC__W  any  application: 

If  you  mis-type  the  name,    or  the  file  does  not  exist  on  the  medium, 
then  QLuMSi  will   respond  with  a   "Bad  command  or  file  name"  message. 
If  the   '[ filename . ext ] '   has  an  extension   (e.g.,    ' _exe ' )   then  you 
must   include  this   in  the   ' I f i lename . ex t ] ' . 


HAPPY  TRAILS,   AND  COMPUTING,   TO  YOU  ... 


AL  FENG 

15  WAKE  ROBIN  COURT 
W00DRIDGE,  IL  60517 
708-971-0495 


1  3 


WANTED     OR     EOR  SALE 


1)  Programs  for  the  TS100,  TS1500  and  TS2068,  formerly  offered 
by  Games  To  Learn  By,  new  or  demo  only.  Price  is  $5  +  .50  for 
shipping  and  handling.  Send  S.A.E.  for  list  to  Mark  Yost,  P.O. 
Box  187,   Canton,   CT  06019  or  call  203-693-6511. 

2)  Wanted,  customers  needing  repairs  or  mods  to  their  Sinclairs! 
Business  phone  number  as  of  1991  is  417-469-4571  as  the  business 
has  moved  back  to  Cabool  and  left  St.  Louis.  Dan  Elliott,  Rt  1, 
Box  117,   Cabool,   MO  65689. 

3)  UPDATE  COMPUTER  SYSTEMS,  large  quarterly  magazine  supporting 
the  TS2068,  Spectrum,  QL  and  Z88.  Sample  at  first  class  mail  is 
$4.95  (counts  toward  subscription  price  if  you  decide  to 
subscribe)  or  $18.00  per  year  to:  UPDATE  COMPUTER  SYSTEMS,  P.O. 
BOX  1095,   PERU,    IN  46970.   NO  PRICE   INCREASE   IN  1991. 

4)  Jerry  Wheeler  of  320  Elder  St.,  Portland,  IN  47371,  has  a 
TS2068,  TS2020,  TS2040 ,  programs,  etc.  for  sale.  All  working 
fine. 

5)  For  Sale  for  QL:  Integrated  Accounts  (3  mdv_carts)  for  $40, 
Nucleon  (2  mdv_carts)  for  $15,  Speedscreen  ROM  (1  mdv_cart)  for 
$30.  Al  Feng,  15  Wake  Robin  Crt . ,  Woodridge,  II  60517. 
708-971-0495. 

6)  For  Sale:  TS1500,  TS2040 ,  3  rolls  2040  paper,  software  and 
books.  $140  or  best  offer  to  Brian  Fouts,  211  Emerson  Dr., 
Seymour,    IN  47274  or  phone  812-522-8987. 

7)  For  Sale:  A  &  J  2000  Stringy  Floppy  for  the  TS2068,  with 
MSCRIPT  on  cartridge,  plus  3  blank  cartridge  wafers  for  $65.00 
which  includes  postage  and  handling.  Frank  Davis,  513  E.  Main, 
Peru,    IN  46970  or  phone  317-473-8031. 

8)  Wanted:  Some  way  of  connecting  my  ZX-81  and  my  monitor. 
Armand  Drucker,    194-02A  67  Ave.,   Flushing,   NY  11365. 

9)  Wanted:  Someone  to  handle  the  duplication  and  distribution  of 
Public  Domain  program  tapes  for  the  SNUG  Library,  as  I  no  longer 
am  handling  cassette  tapes  for  the  library.  Just  not  enough  time 
or  reliability  with  my  aging  tape  decks.  Please?  Contact  Frank 
Davis  at  513  East  Main  St.,   Peru,    IN  46970. 

10)  Wanted:  Back  issues  of  QL  World.  Will  pay  $2  per  issue,  plus 
shipping  if  it  is  one  I  do  not  have  in  my  library.  Contact  Eliad 
P.  Wannum,  c/o  UPDATE  COMPUTER  SYSTEMS,  P.O.  Box  1095,  Peru,  IN 
46970. 

11)  For  Sale:  TAX-I-QL,  a  tax  program  to  use  your  QL  to  do  your 
taxes,  with  the  use  of  the  spreadsheet  program  that  came  with 
your  QL.  You  can  file  the  printout  from  the  computer  to  the  IRS. 
It  needs  to  have  256K  RAM  expansion.  It  is  available  on  disk  for 
$24.95  or  $27.95  for  MDV.  Order  from  EMSoft  division,  P.O.  Box 
8763,   Boston    ,   MA  02114-8763. 


14 


Logic  mil  V4.3 

by  Bob  Swoger 

When  I  received  my  LarKen  disk  operating  system  for  my  T/S  2068 
back  in  1988  I  found  I  could  do  everything  the  expensive 
machines  could  do  even  Sequential  and  Random  Access  files.  The 
only  thing  that  seemed  strange  was  having  utilities  on  disk  that 
I  used  to  have  ready    to    call    in    ROM.    Also    having    to  type 

RANDOMIZE  USR  100:  GOTO  4:   RANDOMIZE  USR  100:   LOAD  "FORMAT. BL" 
seemed  to  me  to  be  a  lot  to  type  just  to  format  a  disk.  So  what 
to  do?  I  wrote  LogiCall. 

A  GUIDED  T®ur: 

John  Shepard  in  Mississippi  called  me  one  evening  after  SMUGfest 
as  he  had  a  slight  problem  when  he  installed  his  LarKen  DOS 
cartridge  into  his  AERCO  disk  system.  He  had  neglected  to  cut  a 
wire  mentioned  in  the  instructions.  But  this  gave  me  an 
opportunity  to  give  him  a  guided  tour  of  LogiCall. 

"Put  the  LogiCall  disk  #1  into  drive  0,  hold  down  the  ENTER  key 
and  turn  on  the  power.  What  happened?"  I  asked.  "Drive  0  came  on 
and  I  have  the  CATalog  on  my  screen  ..  except  it's  also  telling 
me  what  drive  I'm  looking  at."  was  John's  reply.  "That's  the 
LogiCall  screen  and  in  the  lower  left  of  the  screen?"  "It's 
asking  for  a  drive  number."  "Ok,  just  touch  0  or  ENTER.  You'll 
stay  on  drive  0."  "Now  it's  asking  for  a  program  name."  he  said. 
"RIGHT!  Now  touch  your  FORMAT  key  and  hit  ENTER."  "My  FORMAT 
menu  is  on  the  screen  except  there  is  a  0  selection  to  EXIT."  he 
replied.  "Now  touch  0"  "I'm  back  to  LogiCall."  said  he.  "RIGHT! 
Now  just  hit  ENTER  at  the  Drive?  prompt  and  touch  your  MOVE  key 
and  hit  ENTER  at  the  PROGRAM?  prompt."  "My  MOVE  menu  is  on  the 
screen  and  there  is  a  0  selection  to  EXIT."  he  replied.  "Now 
touch  0"  "I'm  back  to  LogiCall."  said  he.  "I'll  show  you  why, 
type  H  and  ENTER"  "A  HELP  menu  is  on  my  screen!"  "RIGHT!  hit 
ENTER  again."  "A  second  page!"  "Yep,  two  pages  of  one  key 
operation  for  LK-DOS  with  LogiCall.  Now  hit  ENTER."  "Back  to 
LogiCall."  he  said.  "At  the  PROGRAM?  prompt  type  W  and  enter." 
"My  TASWORD  TWO  word  processor!"  he  was  laughing  at  this  point. 
"Now  select  either  e  or  q  on  the  TASWORD  menu."  "I'm  back  in 
LogiCall"  "At  the  PROGRAM  prompt  type  T  and  ENTER."  "I'm  in 
MTERM!"  more  laughter.  "Now  at  the  MTERM  menu  select  E  for  exit 
to  BASIC  and  then  RUN  and  ENTER."  "I'm  back  in  LogiCall."  he 
said.  "Ok,  now  at  the  PROGRAM?  prompt  type  BROOKE. C$  and  enter." 
"I'm  looking  at  a  picture  of  Brooke  Shields!"  this  time 
giggling.  "Hit  ENTER  and  at  the  PROGRAM?  prompt  type  ldoc.CT" 
"That  would  be  a  TASWORD  file  wouldn't  it?  Hey!  it's  printing  to 
the  screen."  "Yep,  that  is  the  LogiCall  doc  files  and  you  will 
print  it  out  from  TASWORD  to  use  as  your  LogiCall  manual.  Now 
let's  say  we  are  too  lazy  to  want  to  type  in  a  program  name.  At 
the  PROGRAM?  prompt  just  hit  ENTER."  "AUTOSTART  just  lit  up."  he 
said.  "Now  just  use  the  arrow  keys  to  get  down  the  CATalog  to 
VUCALC.B1  then  hit  ENTER."  "OK,  I'm  looking  at  the  VU-CALC 
start-up  screen  ...  now  I'm  looking  at  the  VU-CALC  main  screen 
with  it's  menu  at  the  top."  "Good,  now  type  #q  and  ENTER.  You 
are  now  looking  at  a  new  menu  I  wrote  that  gives  the  new  VU-CALC 
help  menu  and  an  exit  to  LogiCall  option.  Press  0  and  your  back 
to  LogiCall . " 


1  5 


"Now  consider  the  fact  that  you  have  just  turned  on  your  machine 
and  have  loaded  SEVEN  programs  into  your  machine  one  after 
another,  looked  at  two  data  files  on  the  screen,  all  in  less 
than  three  minutes,  and  have  not  yet  turned  off  your  machine  to 
RESET  it."  I  said.  "NEAT!  This  is  GREAT  stuff!"  he  said,  "But 
how  do  I  make  an  AUTOSTART  file  to  start  up  Logical  1  on 
boot-up?"  he  asked.  "Easy,  at  the  PROGRAM?  prompt  type  A,  wait 
for  the  tune,  then  type  D  and  the  job  is  done."  "Your  kidding, 
what  about  disk  space?"  he  asked.  "AUTOSTART  only  uses  one  track 
and  LogiCall  only  uses  one.  And  of  course  they  both  work  in  the 
SPECTRUM  mode." 

"What  is  the  DISKS. Bl  file  in  the  CATalog?"  he  asked.  "Load  it." 
I  said.  "It  is  there  to  assist  you  in  locating  all  those  great 
programs  that  you  now  own.  I  have  over  300  disks  to  keep  track 
of.  You  eyeball  scan  the  menu  boards  using  the  'N'  [ext]  and 
'Bf [ack]  or  number  keys  to  find  the  needed  disk(s)  in  your 
library  cases,  there  is  room  for  forty  eases.  DISKS. Bl  is  your 
Disk  Filing  System.  S  and  ENTER  saves  your  changes  to  DISKS. Bl 
and  returns  you  to  LogiCall.  TAPES. Bl  is  the  version  for  tape 
back-up  storage." 

WHAT  is  LogiCall: 

LogiCall  is  an  Auxiliary  Operating  System  (AOS)  that  makes 
getting  around  in  a  LarKen  multi-drive  system  as  easy  as 
entering  the  drive  number  you  wish  to  go  to  and  entering  the 
program  name  you  wish  to  run.  Even  if  you  don't  have  a 
multi-drive  system  yet,  LogiCall  will  still  be  of  benefit  to 
you. 

Unlike  operating  systems  which  reside  in  the  computer's  RAM  and 
take  up  precious  program  space,  LogiCall  exits  the  machine  when 
a  new  program  is  LOADed  in  and  returns  when  you're  through  with 
that  program.  Some  of  the  features  of  LogiCall  are: 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 
22. 
23. 


Automatic  display  of  disk  directory.  (Catalog) 

Asks  you  for  the  drive  you  wish  to  use  next.  TAPE?  Sure! 

Asks  you  for  the  program  you  wish  to  run  next. 

Allows  you  to  SCAN  select  the  program  to  LOAD  in. 

Easily  creates  the  AUTOSTART  program  on  disk. 

Easily  adds  itself  to  disk. 

Easy  ERASE  routine. 

Easy  RENAME  routine. 

Easy  Calls  for  FORMAT  and  MOVE. 

Easy  call  for  Word  processor. 

Easy  call  for  Terminal  software. 

Easy  call  for  CRC  (disk  verification) . 

Easy  call  for  running  AUTOSTART. 

Displays  SCREEN$  and  decoded  RLE  pictures  on  screen. 

Prints  directory  out  on  TS2040  for  disk  labeling. 

Displays  WP  files  to  screen  without  use  of  WP. 

Lets  you  change  drives  at  the  'Program?1  prompt. 

Runs  on  MAX  DOS  and  SPECTRUM  modes. 

Written  in  BASIC  to  allow  user  customization. 

Contains  convenient  HELP  screens. 

No  RESET  switch  needed  to  terminate  programs! 

Keeps  you  informed  as  to  current  DRIVE.    (V4.3_3  only) 

All  of  this  on  one  block,    [one  disk  track] . 


1  6 


WHY  Logical!  works: 


LogiCall  contains  all  the  COMMAND  strings  needed  to  run  LK-DOS . 
It  can  therefore  prompt  you  for  what  you  wish  to  do  and  it  will 
do  it  for  you  without  you  having  to  do  all  the  typing.  LogiCall 
(L.B1)  and  AUTOSTART  created  by  LogiCall  should  be  on  the 
RAM-DISK  and  every  floppy  you  have.  AUTOSTART  can  be  modified  to 
start  programs  other  than  L(ogiCall) .Bl  once  it  has  been 
installed.  This  procedure  will  be  discussed  later.  The  program 
DISKS. Bl  should  be  on  the  RAM-DISK  or  on  the  Boot-up  disk  in 
DRIVE  0  if  you  don't  have  the  RAM-DISK. 

INSTALLING  the  L@giCaI!  Auxiliary  Operating  Systsro: 

Enter  the  program  L.B1  into  your  machine,  run  it  and  enter  the 
drive  number  that  you  wish  to  store  it  on.  Then  enter  '  S»  [ave] 
at  the  'Program?'  prompt,  hit  <ENTER>  and  the  program,  L.B1, 
will  be  stored  on  the  current  disk.  Now  enter  'A' [UTOSTART]  at 
the  'Program?'  prompt,  hit  <ENTER>,  then  'D*  and  the  program 
AUTOSTART  will  be  stored  on  the  disk.  (If  you  are  in  the 
SPECTRUM  mode,  type  GOTO  460  after  the  ERROR,  then  'D'  and  the 
program  AUTOSTART  will  be  stored  on  the  disk.) 

MODIFYING  AUTOSTART: 

To  modify  the  AUTOSTART  program  to  run  something  other  than 
LogiCall  at  boot-up,  press  'A'  and  ENTER  at  the  PROGRAM?  prompt 
and  wait  for  the  tune.  Then  press  'A'  instead  of  'D*.  This  will 
break  the  AUTOSTART  program.  Modify  line  420  with  the  name  and 
extension  of  the  file  you  wish  AUTOSTART  to  run,  then  type  GOTO 
460  and  'D'  to  reinstall  the  modified  AUTOSTART. 

If  you  wish  to  use  the  'PRINT  #4:'  feature  that  Larry  Kenny 
mentions  in  his  manual,  then  modify  line  410  removing  the  REM 
from  that  line.  However,  do  not  do  this  if  you  are  using  LK-DOS 
on  a  JLO  system  or  strange  things  may  happen.  If  also  conflicts 
with  the  ZEBRA  TALKER. 

MODIFYING  ©listing  programs: 

You  will  now  have  to  modify  the  other  programs  on  disk  to  LOAD 
L.B1  upon  completion  of  those  programs.  Most  programs  are  saved 
on  lines  above  9990  or  should  be,  so  add  line  9998  CLEAR: 
RANDOMIZE  USR  100:  LOAD  "L.B1"  to  the  program.  L.B1  will  then  be 
run  after  each  successful  save.  I  use  9999  for  tape  back-up 
saves . 

On  programs  that  are  menu  driven,  add  a  selection  '0.)  EXIT  1  to 
the  menu  that  directs  the  program  to  the  new  line  9998.  On 
programs  that  end  with  a  STOP  statement  you  can  either  modify  it 
to  read  'STOP: GOTO  9998'  so  that  entering  CONTINUE  <ENTER>  after 
the  STOP  occurs  will  load  L.B1,  or  change  the  STOP  statement  to 
read  GOTO  9998.  Also,  modify  MSCRIPT  to  use  the  extender  .Cm 
and  not  .CM  as  Larry  uses  .CM  for  NMI  saves. 

USING  LogiCaH's  features: 

The  HELP  screen  displays  the  keys  that  give  the  desired  results. 
Just  press  'H1  or  '?'  at  either  prompt  to  see  the  HELP  file.  On 
it  you  will  see  that  entering  'W  at  the  'Program?'  prompt  will 
LOAD  in  the  TASWOR.BA  word  processor  and  »T'  will  LOAD  in  the 
MTERM2.B1  terminal  software. 


1.7 


At  the  'Program?1  prompt  you  can  enter  *7*  or    'E'    <ENTER>  and 

you  will  get  the  * ERASE 1  prompt.    Enter    the    name    with  the 

extender  of  the  file  to  be  erased,  <ENTER>  and  the  file  will  be 
removed  from  the  directory. 

If  you  enter  '8'  <ENTER>  (sorry,  but  this  is  the  only    one  that 

isn't  logical),  you  will  get  the  1 RENAME"", n" '  prompt.  Enter  the 

name  and  extender  of  the  file  to  be  renamed,  <ENTER>,    then  the 

new  file  name  with  it's  extender,  <ENTER>  and  the  file  will  be 
renamed.   [  MOVE.BL  will  try  to  LOAD  in  on  V4.1_2  ] 

If  you  enter  *9'  or  'L' [ist]  <ENTER>  you  will  get  a  fresh 
CATalog  printed  on  your  screen.  Use  this  if  you  have  just 
swapped  disks  in  your  current  drive. 

You  can  enter  '0'  or  'F' [ormat]  <ENTER>  and  '6*  or  'M' [ove] 
<ENTER>  to  call  in  FORMAT. BL  and  MOVE.BL,  if  they  are  on  the 
current  drive,  to  perform  the  FORMAT,  COPY  (BACK-UP) ,  MOVE  and 
RENAME  functions. 

If  you  enter  'Z'  <ENTER>  you  will  get  a  COPY  on  your  T/S  2040 
printer  of  the  directory  screen  which  can  be  placed  in  the 
sleeve  with  the  disk  to  show  what  all  is  on  the  disk. 

Use  'N' [ew]  to  activate  AUTOSTART  again. 

If  you  enter  'R'  or  'V [erify]  <ENTER>  you  will  check  your  disk 
for  CRC  errors. 

If  the  CATalog  directory  is  too  large  for  the  screen,  'B' [reif] 
will  give  you  a  brief  CATalog  if  you  are  not  in  the  SPECTRUM 
mode. 

At  the  'Program?'  prompt  hitting  <ENTER>  without  first  typing  in 
a  filename  will  put  you  into  the  'Scan  LOAD'  mode.  The  space  bar 
or  any  key  in  the  lower  rows  will  advance  the  pointer  down  the 
screen  and  the  top  row  of  keys  will  send  the  pointer  back  toward 
the  top.  <ENTER>  will  LOAD  in  the  selected  program.  The  arrow 
keys  and  'A'  and  'Q' ,  will  work  as  expected. 

If  you  enter  a  file  with  an  extender  of  '.C$'  at  the  'Program?' 
prompt  then  LogiCall  will  assume  that  the  file  is  a  screen  file 
and  display  it  on  the  screen  for  you.  If  you  enter  a  file  with 
an  extender  of  '.Cm'  [not  .CM]  or  '  .CT'  at  the  'Program?'  prompt 
then  LogiCall  will  assume  that  the  file  is  an  MSCRIPT  or  TASWORD 
TWO  word  processor  file  and  will  display  it  on  the  screen 
directly  from  disk. 

When  you  are  finished  with  the    program,  you    do    one    of  four 
things : 

1 .  )  Quit  from  the  program ' s  menu . 

2.  )  STOP  the  program  and  then    CONTINUE  <ENTER>. 

3.  )  STOP  the  program  and  enter  'GOTO  9998'  <ENTER>. 

4.  )  RUN  the  program's  BASIC  driver  which  will  LOAD  L.B1. 

The  disk  directory  will  again  appear  on  the  screen  with  the  word 
'DRIVE?  '  at  the  bottom  of  the  screen  and  you  can  go  again  as 
before.   [No  need  for  a  RESET  switch!!] 

People,  not  computers,  should  be  buligerent,  so,  if  you  enter 
»1\  '2',  '3'  or  '4'  <ENTER>  at  the  'Program?'  prompt  LogiCall 
will  access  that  drive  and  show  you  it's  CATalog.  If  you  know 
that  FORMAT. Bl  is  not  on  the  current  drive  then  entering  '0' 
<ENTER>  will  access  Drive  0. 

1 & 


If  you  have  TROUBLE: 


The  LogiCall  version  number  in  the  first  line  of  the  program  is 
followed  by  the  LARKEN  LKDOS  EPROM  version  number    L[ogiCall] .Bl 
has  to  work  with.  Each  system,  AERCO,  LARKEN,  OLIGER  and  RAMEX, 
require  different  FORMAT  programs.  Also,  version    2    EPROMS  are 
unable  to  do  RENAME,  and    other    features,     requiring  different 
versions  of  this  software.  The  program  below  is  for  LK-DOS 
version  L3.  If  you  have  another  version  contact  me  by  phone  at 
the  numbers  listed  at  the  end  of  the  program.  I'll  be  glad  to 
help. 

2  GO  TO  VAL  "49":  REM  — =  L.B1  =—  WRITTEN  BY  ROBERT  SWOGER 
1988  V4.3L3 

3  IF  INKEY$<>""  THEN  GO  TO  PI 

5  RETURN 

6  PRINT  #RND; "DRIVE?  "; :  RETURN 

10  PAUSE  PEEK  VAL  "23728"^ (PEEK  VAL  "23728">H) :  RANDOMIZE  USR 
H:  POKE  VAL  "8200", VAL  "8195":  LET  D8=USR  VAL  "110":  LET 
D9«(D8=VAL  "4")+ (VAL  "2"* (D8-VAL  "8") )+ (INT  PI* (D8=VAL 
"16"))+(VAL  n4"*(D8=VAL  ,,128")):  INK  VAL  "9":  PAPER  SGN  PI: 
BORDER  SGN  PI:  BRIGHT  NOT  PI:  CLS  :  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  CAT  "", : 
PRINT  "Drive  #  00";D9;:  RETURN 

20  GO  SUB  PI:  FOR  R=NOT  PITO  VAL  "15":  FOR  C=NOT  PITO  VAL  "16" 
STEP  VAL  "16" 

25  LET  P$="":  FOR  I=C  TO  C+VAL  "8":  LET  S$=SCREEN$   (R, I):  LET 
P$=P$+S$:  NEXT  I:  IF  P$ (VAL  "8"  TO  )="LK"  THEN  GO  TO  H 
30  IF  CODE  P$<VAL  "33"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "48" 
32  IF  P$=MAUTOSTART"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "38" 

34  FOR  J=SGN  PITO  VAL  "7":  IF  P$(J)="."  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "38" 
36  NEXT  J:  NEXT  R 

38  PRINT  AT  R,C;   INVERSE  SGN  PI;P$:   INPUT  "":  PRINT 
#RND; "Program?  ";P$:  PAUSE  NOT  PI:  PRINT  AT  R,C;P$ 

40  IF  PEEK  LOVAL  "10"  AND  PEEK  LOVAL  "11"  AND  PEEK  LOVAL 
"54n  AND  PEEK  LOVAL  "55"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "44" 

42  LET  R=R+ (PEEK  L=VAL  "10")+ (PEEK  L=VAL  "54") - (PEEK  L=VAL 
W11,,)-(PEEK  L=VAL  "55"):  GO  TO  VAL  "25" 

46  LET  R=R+ (PEEK  L=VAL  "9")+ (PEEK  L=VAL  "10")+ (PEEK  L=VAL 
"32")+ (PEEK  L=VAL  "54")+ (PEEK  L=VAL  "56") -(PEEK  L<VAL 
"58W)-(PEEK  L=VAL  "81"  OR  PEEK  L=VAL  "113" ) :    IF  PEEK  L=VAL  "13" 
THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "200" 

48  NEXT  C:  NEXT  R:  GO  TO  H 

49  CLEAR  VAL  "63222":  POKE  VAL  "23658", VAL  "8":  LET  H=VAL 
w100w:  LET  L=VAL  "23560":  GO  SUB  VAL  "9" 

50  GO  SUB  PI:  GO  SUB  VAL  "6" 

60  PAUSE  NOT  PI:  LET  D$=CHR$  PEEK  L:  IF  D$<"0"  OR  D$>"4"  AND 
D$<>"HW  AND  D$<>"T"  AND  D$<>"Q"  THEN  IF  CODE  D$OVAL  "13"  THEN 
GO  TO  VAL  "60" 

65  IF  CODE  D$=VAL  "13"  THEN  GO  TO  H 

70  IF  D$="Q"  THEN  STOP  :  RUN 

75  IF  D$="H"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "500" 

80  IF  D$="T"  THEN  INPUT  "":  PRINT  #RND; "Start  tape":  LOAD  "": 
GO  TO  H 

85  PRINT  #RND;USR  H:   GO  TO  VAL  D$ 
90  IF  VAL  D$=D9  THEN  GO  TO  H 
95  GO  SUB  VAL  "9" 
100  GO  SUB  PI:  POKE  VAL  "23728", H:  INPUT  "Program?  ";  LINE  P$: 
IF  P$=""  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "20" 

105  GO  SUB  PI:   IF  P$>="1"  AND  P$<="4"  THEN  LET  D$=P$ :  GO  SUB 
VAL  "6":  GO  TO  VAL  "85" 
110  IF  P$="A"  OR  P$="a"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "430" 

115  IF  P$="B"  OR  P$="b"  THEN  CLS  :  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  CAT  ".B"",: 

PRINT  "Drive  #  00";D$:  GO  TO  H 

120  IF  P$="D"  OR  P$="d"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "50" 

125  IF  P$="E"  OR  P$="e"  OR  P$="7"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "300" 

i  * 


130  IF  P$="8"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "320" 

135  IF  P$*="F"  OR  P$="f"  OR  P$="0"  THEN  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  LOAD 
"FORMAT. Bl":  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  GO  TO  NOT  PI:  GO  TO  VAL  "95" 
140  IF  P$="H"  OR  P$="h"  OR  P$="?"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "500" 
145  IF  P$»"K"  OR  P$="k"  THEN  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  GO  TO  SGN  PI: 
RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  SAVE  "S.C$"SCREEN$  :  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  GO  TO  D9 
150  IF  P$="L"  OR  P$="l"  OR  P$="9"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "49" 
155  IF  P$="M"  OR  P$="m"  OR  P$="6"  THEN  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  LOAD 
"MOVE.BL":  GO  TO  VAL  "20" 
165  IF  P$="Q"  OR  P$="q"  THEN  STOP  :  RUN 

170  IF  P$="R"  OR  P$="r"  OR  P$="V"  OR  P$="v"  THEN  RANDOMIZE  USR 
H:  VERIFY  "":  GO  TO  H 
175  IF  P$="S"  OR  P$="s"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "9990" 

180  IF  P$="T"  OR  P$="t"  THEN  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  LOAD  "MTERM2 . Bl " 
185  IF  P$="W"  OR  P$="w"  THEN  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  LOAD  "TASWOR.BA" 
190  IF  P$="Y"  OR  P$="y"  THEN  RANDOMIZE  USR  VAL  "54016" 
195  IF  P$="Z"  OR  P$="z"  OR  P$="C"  OR  P$="c"  THEN  COPY  :  GO  TO  H 
200  IF  P$="N"  OR  P$-"n"  OR  P$= "AUTOSTART"  THEN  CLS  :  RANDOMIZE 
USR  H:  NEW 
205  FOR  I=SGN  PITO  LEN  P$ 

210  IF  P$(I)="."  THEN  LET  P$=P$ (  TO  I+VAL  "2"):  GO  TO  VAL  "230" 
220  NEXT  I:  GO  TO  H 

230  IF  P$(I+SGN  PI)="B"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "280" 

240  IF  P$(LEN  P$-SGN  PITO  )<>"C$"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "270" 

250  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  INK  NOT  PI:  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  PAPER  NOT  PI: 

BORDER  NOT  PI:  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  LOAD  P$SCREEN$   :  PAUSE  NOT  PI: 

RANDOMIZE  USR  H:   INK  VAL  "7":  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  PAPER  NOT  PI 
260  PAUSE  NOT  PI:  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  INK  VAL  "6":  PAUSE  NOT  PI: 

RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  PAPER  SGN  PI:  BORDER  SGN  PI:   GO  TO  VAL  "95" 
270  IF  P$(LEN  P$-SGN  PITO  ) <>"Cm"  AND  P$ (LEN  P$-SGN  PITO 

)<>"CT"  THEN  GO  TO  VAL  "290" 

275  CLS  :  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  PRINT  P$:  INPUT  "  Press  ENTER  to 
RETURN  CAT  ";  LINE  a$:  GO  TO  VAL  "95" 

276  REM  PAPER  VAL  "7":  BORDER  VAL  "7":  CLS  :  RANDOMIZE  USR  VAL 
"64300":  PRINT  CHR$  PI;:  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  PRINT  P$:  INPUT  " 
Press  ENTER  to  RETURN  CAT  ";  LINE  a$:  GO  TO  VAL  "95" 

280  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  LOAD  P$:  GO  TO  VAL  "95" 

290  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  LOAD  P$  CODE:  GO  TO  VAL  "95" 

300  INPUT  "  ERASE  ";E$ 

310  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  ERASE  E$, :  GO  TO  VAL  "95" 
320  INPUT  "RENAME  ";R$;",";S$ 

330  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:  MOVE  R$,S$:  GO  TO  VAL  "95" 
400  CLEAR  VAL  "65367" 

410  REM  RANDOMIZE  USR  VAL  "100":  OPEN  #VAL  "4","dd" 

420  RANDOMIZE  USR  VAL  "100":  LOAD  "L.B1" 

430  DELETE  SGN  PI, VAL  "399" 

440  DELETE  VAL  "480", VAL  "9999" 

450  DELETE  VAL  "430", VAL  "459" 

460  CLEAR  VAL  "27577" 

470  RANDOMIZE  USR  VAL  "102":  GO  TO  VAL  "400" 
510  GO  SUB  PI:  CLS  :  PRINT  "  HELP  FILE 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%"; '"  You  may  select  drives  T 
thru  4"'"      at  the    Program?    prompt :";"  "ENTER  &  space  scans 
CAT  for  LOAD  " 

520  PRINT  "6      Calls  in  the  MOVE  program.  ","7      ERASES  file 
from  disk. ","8      RENAMES  oldf ile, newf ile . ", "9      Refreshes  the 
CATalog.","0      Calls  in  the  FORMAT  program.  ";"0_      Quit,  halts 
this  program. ","R     VERIFYs  CRC  is  OK."'"S      SAVEs  this  program 
to  disk.","T      Calls  in  TERMINAL  program. ","W      Calls  in  WORD 
PROCESSOR. ", "Z      COPYs  CATalog  to  printer." 

530  PRINT  '"Holding  down    CAPS  SHIFT  &  BREAKduring  AUTOSTART 
sequence  willbreak  into  AUTOSTART  program."; 

540  PRINT  #RND; "        Press  <ENTER>  to  CONTINUE  ":  PAUSE  NOT  PI 

560  GO  SUB  PI:  PRINT  AT  VAL  "7", NOT  PI;  "A      Adds  AUTOSTART  to 
disk.","B      Gives  a  Brief  CATalog. ","C      COPYs  CATalog  to 

2  0 


printer. " , "D      Returns  the  Drive?  prompt. ", "F      Calls  in  the 
FORMAT  program. "; "H      Calls  in  this  HELP  file.'V'K  Saves 
$creen  to  disk.'V'M      Calls  in  the  MOVE  program. ", "N  NEW, 
reactivates  AUTOSTART ."' "V      VERIFYs  CRC  is  OK.u,"Y       RETURNS  to 
terminal  mode." 

570  PRINT  • "  Press  <ENTER>  at  the  Program?  prompt  and  use  the 
arrow  keys  to  select  a  program  to  LOAD  in."; 

580  PAUSE  NOT  PI:  CLS  :  GO  TO  VAL  "49"+ (D$<>"H" ) *VAL  "46" 
9992  RANDOMIZE  USR  H:   SAVE  "L.B1"  LINE  VAL  "49" 
9999  GO  TO  H 

If  you  wish  to  have  the  entire  two  disk  LogiCall  Ensemble 
call  me  weekdays  at  708-576-8068  or  evenings  and  weekends 
at  708-837-7957. 


Sorn©     Mor  e      I  deas     on     Han     to     G  r~  e- s*.  t  e- 
Mu  1  t  i  p  1  e     Co  1  umns      i  n     Z88     Pi  pedrearn 


I  will  describe  how  to  create 
these  articles  using  288  Pipedrearo 
for  a  single  page.  This  also  works 
for  multiple  pages  although  its  a 
little  more  tedious. 

The  first  thing  to  do  is  change 
the  width  of  Column  A  with  <>W  to  40. 
Then  set  a  right  margin  of  38  with 
OH. 

At  this  time  go  to  the  Options 
Menu  of  Pipedream  with  <>0.  Set 
Justify  to  Y.  Set  the  page  length.  It 
is  usually  50  to  60  lines  depending 
on  the  document.  Set  Header,  Footer 
and  Bottom  to  0  and  Left  to  2. 

Now  the  hard  part!  Go  back  to 
Pipedream  with  ESCape  and  write  the 
article  ent i rely  in  Column  A. 

Editing  is  more  difficult  with 
multiple  columns  so  99%  of  the 
editing  is  done  with  the  text  in 
column  A.  Any  insertions  and 
deletions  of  lines  of  text  in 
multiple  columns  must  use  the 
commands  OEIRC  and  OEDRC.  ON  and 
OY  insert  and  delete  in  ALL  the 
columns. 

Once  you  are  satisfied  with  the 
text  set  the  width  of  Column  B  at  40 
with  OW  and  the  right  margin  at  38 
with  OH. 

Now  you  are  going  to  separate  and 
move  your  text   into  Column  B. 

There  will  be  a  jagged  line 
across  the  column  where  you 
previously  set  the  page  length.  Now 
move  the  cursor  one  line  past  this 
marker.  Type  < >Z  and  then  move  to  the 
end     of     the     text     with     <>  and  Down 

2  t 


Arrow.  Type  OZ  again.  All  the 
selected  text  will  be  highlighted  on 
the  screen. 

Press  TAB  to  move  your  cursor  to 
Column  B  and  use  the  arrow  keys  to 
put  the  Cursor  where  you  want  the 
moved  text  to  start. 

Select  Move  from  Pi  pedream" s 
Blocks  Menu  or  type  OBM.  Your 
selected  text  will  be  moved  to  your 
cursor  position. 

That's  all  you  have  to  do  to  put 
your  text  into  two  columns  as  you  see 
it  here. 

Here  is  how  to  create  the 
Enlarged  text  at  the  top.  Go  to  the 
Printer  Editor  with  Square  E  or  from 
the  Index.  The  control  codes  for 
Enlarged  text  on  my  printer  are  14 
for  On  and  20  for  Off.  Replace  the 
codes  for  User  Defined  with  these 
numbers.  Now  you  must  update  the 
Printer  Driver  with  OFU. 

Go  to  Pipedream  and  type  < >PE 
(User  Defined)  in  the  first  position 
of  the  text  you  want  enlarged.  The 
text  will  not  appear  on  the  screen  as 
it  does  on  the  printer  unlike  the 
other  codes.  A  highlighted  8  will 
appear  where  you  typed  this  command. 
Add  spaces  before  the  text  in  this 
line  to  center  the  headline.  Type 
OPE  at  the  end  of  the  line  of  text 
if  you  have  more  than  one  line. 

Now  just  print  the  document  with 
< >P0  and  you  are  finished! 

By  Dave  Bennett 

Note:    <>  =  Diamond  Key 


OLIGER  DISK  DRIVE  BBS  PROGRAM   ISSUE  DISK- 


UPDATE 


The  Mad  Programmer:   Paul  Holmgren 
Igor:   Willie  Jones 

Welcome  to  a  new  experience  in  Timex  telecommunications. 

The  Indiana  Sinclair  Timex  Users  Group  was  formed  after  the  1986 
Mid-West  TS  computer  Fest.  Several  of  the  members  left  the  Fest 
with  a  copy  of  T/S  Tinyboard  by  Randy  Gordon.  At  an  early 
meeting  one  of  our  members  stated  he  had  an  extra  phone  line  and 
wanted  to  run  Tinyboard  as  a  service  to  the  group. 

After  we  got  the  BBs  up  and  running  he  found  it  very  difficult 
to  keep  it  running.  It  was  decided  that  the  program  needed 
looking  at.  After  many  examinations  we  decided  to  start  over 
with  the  goals  of  designing  a  reliable  and  easy  to  operate  BBs. 

Tinyboard,  in  the  form  we  received  it,  did  not  work  for  us.  No 
reflection  on  Randy,  we  just  needed  and  wanted  more,  and  set  out 
to  get  it.  After  considerable  trials  and  errors  writing  the 
program,  up- loading  or  Pony  Expressing  it  to  the  operating 
location  to  put  it  to  the  test;  we  succeeded.  To  test  this  type 
of  program  you  really  need  to  use  it  to  gain  accurate 
information  when   it  crashs,    of  which  we  had  our  share. 

A  STRONG  "Thank  You"  goes  to  Willie  Jones.  He  ran  each  change  as 
they  were  made  available  and  reported  the  bugs  and  crashes 
accurately.  Allowing  the  Mad  Programmer  to  address  the  problems 
without  having  actually  seen  them  sometimes.  We  shared  lots  of 
frustration  before  this  was  over. 

Here  are  the  results  of  many  hours  of  design,  testing, 
rewriting,   and  of  course,    lots  of  debugging. 

1.  You  do  not  need  any  expansion  memory  devices. 

2.  a  real   time  clock,   also  advances  the  date  at  midnight 

3.  5-40  message,    message  bases. 

4.  A  quick  message  scan  that  lists  the  mess.  no.,  date  and 
time  left,   and  the  To  and  From  names. 

5.  a  users  log,    if  you  wish. 

6.  A  provision  allowing  non-Timex  callers  to  use  the  bbs. 
(some  use  a  different  code  for  NEWL I NE/ RETURN) 

7.  The  callers  name  and  date/time  called,  mess.  no.  left, 
mess,  read,  Any  messages  to  the  SYSop,  and  when  they  log 
off  are  all  LPRINTED.  It  uses  the  2040  for  its  ease,  but 
any  setup  will  do.   Our  SYSop  has  found  it  a  great  tool  for 

managing  the  BBs. 

8.  EMAIL,   send,   receive,   delete,   all  with  privacy. 

Since  none  of  us  had  an  expanded  machine  we  used  all  the 
programming  tricks  we  could  (at  least  the  ones  I  know)  to  allow 
some  free  memory  for  changes  for  a  mass  storage  device  and  its 
operation.  Careful 1  study  of  the  program  will  show  you  that  we 
did  a  lot  of  seemingly  strange  things  with  BASIC.  There  is  a 
reason  to  this  madness.  We  worked  real  hard  to  save  as  much 
memory  as  we  could  and  maintain  reasonable  program  speed.  Where 
program  speed  is  important  we  did  ok.  Where  we  wanted  to  control 
the  speed  or  where  memory  saving  tricks  would  not  hurt  us  we  did 
the  best  we  could.  CAUTION:  Because  parts  of  the  program  jump 
around  Be  REAL  careful 1  if  you  start  to  change  parts  of  it  we  do 
not  ask  you  to  change. 


CABLE  COLUMN 

By  Bill  Cable 

ARCHIVE  SERIES 
PART    3    :    First    Commands    or  Close 
Encounters  of  the  First  Kind 

In  this  column  we  will  finally  load  ARCHIVE 
and  use  it  We  will  start  out  slowly  using  the 
most  basic  commands  needed  for  database  work  : 
QUIT,  LOOK,  OPEN,  CLOSE,  DISPLAY,  FIRST, 
LAST,  NEXT,  BACK.  Extremely  elementary  so 
anyone  can  follow  along.  There  will  be  no 
programming  done.  We  will  issue  our  commands 
directly  to  the  ARCHIVE  prompt  utilizing  its 
user  friendly  mode.  Those  who  shun  anything  to 
do  with  programming  have  no  excuse  for  not 
following  along. 

First  I  would  like  to  pass  on  some  interesting 
information  about  ARCHIVE.  I  have  been 
converting  my  QL  ARCHIVE  programs  to  work 
on  PCs.  1  have  had  pretty  good  success  which  is 
impressive  considering  how  different  the  QL  and 
PC  are.  PC  ARCHIVE  is  significantly  faster  but 
my  large  programs  have  a  tendency  to  have 
random  pauses  of  several  seconds  now  and  again 
(memory  management  problems  of  some  sort). 
Trying  to  get  more  information  on  this  problem  I 
called  Rowan  Prior  of  PSION  USA  in 
Watertown,  CT.  PSION  created  ARCHIVE  and 
supplies  it  packaged  as  PC-FOUR  with  QUILL, 
ABACUS,  and  EASEL.  ARCHIVE  has  not  been 
revised  in  years  and  is  essentially  supplied  as  is 
with  no  vendor  support  Rowan  advised  me  to 
contact  Colin  Hughs  of  TRANSFORM  Ltd,  7C 
Station  Approach,  Hayes,  Kent,  England,  BR2 
7EQ,  Tel:  014481  462  4666.  1  did  and  Colin 
advised  me  to  break  my  programs  into  12k 
blocks.  Something  I  don't  have  to  do  on  the  QL. 
He  also  told  me  that  TRANSFORM  has  a  new 
version  of  PC  ARCHIVE  which  should  be 
available  in  January.  It  is  called  ARCH1VE+  and 
has  many  new  enhancements  plus  will  be  much 
faster.  It  will  run  under  DOS  or  UNIX  and  will 
sell  for  about  250  pounds.  I  can  be  licensed  to 
provide  ARCH1VE+  with  my  software  for  50 
pounds  a  copy.  This  is  all  very  good  news  for  me 


since  1  use  ARCHIVE  as  my  primary 
programming  language.  Now  it  seems,  my 
programming  language  will  be  up-to-date  and 
well  supported,  i  was  considering  shopping  for 
another  database  language  for  my  PC  work  but 
now  1  won't  have  to.  Apparently  the  British 
military  is  a  heavy  user  of  ARCHIVE  and  that 
provided  enough  incentive  for  the  development 
work.  An  excellent  database  system  has  risen 
from  the  software  graveyard.  Watch  out  DBASE, 
FOX-BASE,  PARADOX  CLARION, 

HYPERCARD.  I  will  provide  more  information 
about  ARCHIVE*  when  I  get  a  copy.  This  only 
indirectly  helps  the  QL.  But  I  have  found  the  QL 
ARCHIVE  adequate  for  my  QL  needs.  At  least 
QL  users  who  take  the  time  to  learn  ARCHIVE 
will  be  able  to  apply  the  knowledge  gained  to 
other  computers. 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  USING  ARCHIVE 

Now  let  us  begin  working  with  ARCHIVE.  Make 
a  working  copy  of  your  original  database 
cartridge  if  you  haven't  already.  It  is  important 
to  always  have  multiple  backups  of  important 
files.  IF  YOU  EVER  HAVE  A  FILE  THAT 
BECOMES  CORRUPTED  NEVER  START 
USING  YOUR  BEST  BACKUP  DIRECTLY. 
MAKE  A  COPY  OF  IT  AND  WORK  WITH 
THE  COPY.  This  is  a  universal  principle  no 
matter  what  computer  you  use.  Open  your  QL 
manual  to  the  ARCHIVE  section.  Become  as 
familiar  with  it  as  you  can.  It  is  the  best 
reference  available.  Pages  41-52  covering 
command  and  function  definitions  are  most 
important  Read  them  over  and  over  as  you  play 
with  ARCHIVE.  At  first  you  won't  understand 
much  but  each  time  you  will  pick  up  a  little 
more.  When  you  have  error  messages  look  them 
up  on  pages  52-54. 


STARTING  ARCHIVE 

1  will  refer  to  microdrives  (mdv)  in  my 
descriptions  below  but  substitute  floppies  (flp)  or 
RAM  (ram)  as  you  like.  If  you  are  confused 
about  configuring  ARCHIVE  to  work  with 
floppies  or  RAM  send  a  SASE  for  help.  Reset 
your  QL  put  your  ARCHIVE  database  cartridge 
in  mdv  1    and  press  <F1>.  Archive  will  boot  up 


2  3 


and  you  will  sec  boxes  at  the  top,  an  open  middle 
area,  a  thick  line  near  the  bottom  and  a  V  below 
with  the  cursor.  This  is  ARCHIVE'S  most  user 
friendly  mode.  It  is  a  good  configuration  for 
beginners.  Later  we  will  use  more  efficient 
modes  as  ARCHIVE  is  quite  adaptable. 
ARCHIVE  will  execute  each  command  directly 
when  you  type  them  on  the  command  line  where 
the  cursor  is.  The  boxes  at  the  top  provide 
helpful  information  about  what  to  do  and  what  is 
happening.  Note  that  pressing  <F1>  will  activate 
the  HELP  system.  With  it  you  can  query  about 
the  various  commands  and  functions  of 
ARCHIVE  whenever  you  want  It  is  fun  to  play 
with  the  various  levels  of  help  and  learn  at  the 
same  time.  Pressing  <F2>  makes  the  top  boxes  go 
away  or  reappear.  This  allows  you  to  free  up 
more  screen.  Pressing  <F3>  cycles  through  4 
listings  of  all  ARCHIVE  commands  in  the  top 
center  box.  A  quick  way  to  recall  a  command. 
The  commands  are  not  activated  unless  you  type 
them  out  in  full  in  the  lower  part  of  the  screen 
and  press  <ENTER>.  The  command  does  not 
have  to  be  currently  listed  in  the  box  to  be  issued. 
Press  <F3>  4  times  and  read  all  the  commands. 
Notice  that  they  all  are  familiar  words  and  their 
actual  function  within  ARCHIVE  is  closely 
connected  with  their  standard  English  meanings. 
Many  commands  take  arguments  (more 
information).  Often  the  arguments  need  to  be  in 
quotes  ("")•  If  you  type  the  command  and  then 
<ENTER>,  ARCHIVE  will  put  in  the  quotes  for 
you  and  tell  you  what  additional  information  is 
needed  and  you  can  type  it  in  and  press 
<ENTER>.  It  doesn't  matter  if  you  type 
commands  in  lower  or  upper  case.  ARCHIVE 
allows  you  to  type  ahead.  You  can  issue  a  new 
command  before  the  first  one  has  finished. 
Pressing  <F5>  will  recall  your  last  command  line 
You  can  press  <ENTER>  to  reissue  it  or  use  the 
arrow  keys  to  edit  it  This  feature  saves  lots  of 
typing.  ARCHIVE  has  a  complete  enough  set  of 
commands  that  it  can  be  considered  a  self 
contained  operating  system  of  its  own.  In  many 
ways  it  is  a  much  friendlier  environment  than 
SUPERBASIC  and  QDOS  because  you  have  help 
at  the  top  of  the  screen  and  a  help  file  available 
by  pressing  <F1>  and  a  friendlier  error  trapping 
system.  It  is  essentially  an  operating  system 


designed  to  handle  databases  (file  cards).  It  turns 
out  that  many  of  our  computer  applications  fit 
easily  into  this  database  structure  so  ARCHIVE  is 
a  natural  environment  to  work  in. 

FIRST  ARCHIVE  COMMANDS 

<ESC>  Command 

This  is  not  really  a  command  but  it  is  a  way  to 
interrupt  ARCHIVE  or  abort  a  command  to  get 
the  ARCHIVE  prompt  again.  Use  it  whenever 
you  get  confused  by  what  is  happening  or  want 
to  cancel  a  command.  Sometimes  it  works  better 
by  hitting  several  <ESO  quickly.  It  is  equivalent 
to  <CTRL-SPACE  BAR>  in  SUPERBASIC  Some 
commands  don't  interrupt  in  the  middle  and  you 
have  to  wait  until  they  are  completed. 

QUIT  COMMAND 

It  is  very  important  to  QUIT  when  done  with 
ARCHIVE.  QUIT  closes  all  open  files  and  returns 
you  to  SUPERBASIC  ARCHIVE  supports  access 
to  many  databases  simultaneously  and  you 
should  always  close  them  when  done.  By  using 
QUIT  at  the  very  end  you  make  sure  all  files  arc 
closed.  Turning  off  your  QL  with  OPEN  data 
files  is  a  no-no  with  ARCHIVE  as  mentioned  in 
earlier  columns.  Even  if  you  get  totally  confused 
while  working  with  ARCHIVE  and  no  cursor  can 
be  seen.  Press  <ESC>  many  time  and  type 
QUIT<ENTER>.  Wait  a  reasonable  time  for  the 
<ESC>  to  have  effect  and  the  QUIT  to  be 
executed.  After  you  QUIT  you  will  see  a  blank 
screen  with  the  cursor  at  the  bottom.  You  axe 
back  in  SUPERBASIC  Since  windows  have  been 
closed  it  is  best  to  reset  you  QL  before 
continuing.  If  you  are  multitasking  then  always 
make  sure  you  QUIT  any  ARCHIVE  jobs  before 
turning  off  your  computer. 

LOOK  and  OPEN  COMMANDS 

ARCHIVE  deals  with  data  and  the  data  is  stored 
in  special  files  on  microdrives  called  databases. 
These  are  like  stacks  of  file  cards.  To  access 
previously  stored  data  we  must  use  the  LOOK  or 
OPEN  commands.  The  LOOK  command  provides 
a  safe  way  to  access  a  database.  If  you  only  want 
to  inspect  data  but  not  alter  or  add  to  it  then  use 
LOOK.  If  you  want  to  make  changes  to  your 


24 


database  then  you  have  to  access  it  with  the 
OPEN  command  Both  commands  need  to  be 
followed  by  information  which  identifies  the 
device  &  file  to  be  accessed  Later  when  we  work 
with  multiple  files  we  will  also  need  to  assign  a 
logical  name  when  we  OPEN  or  LOOK  so  we  can 
keep  track  of  which  database  is  which.  For  now 
we  will  just  work  with  just  one  database  and 
ARCHIVE  assigns  a  logical  name  of  "main".  One 
technique  that  minimizes  database  vulnerability 
is  to  always  use  LOOK  and  then  switch  to  OPEN 
temporarily  when  changes  are  made.  For  now  we 
will  only  use  LOOK  and  explore  OPEN  next 
issue. 

CLOSE  COMMAND 

After  you  are  through  working  with  a  database 
you  should  always  CLOSE  it  even  if  you  stay  in 
ARCHIVE  to  do  other  work.  This  insures  that 
everything  is  properly  tidied  up.  If  you  have 
accessed  the  database  with  the  OPEN  command  it 
is  extremely  important  to  type  CLOSE<ENTER> 
when  done.  If  you  fail  to  to  that  and  also  fail  to 
QUIT  ARCHIVE  your  database  could  be 
corrupted  and  you  will  not  be  able  to  access  the 
data  again. 

DISPLAY  COMMAND 

This  is  an  easy  way  to  see  one  record  of  data  in  a 
database  after  you  have  used  LOOK  or  OPEN  to 
access  it  Once  a  database  has  been  accessed  you 
are  always  positioned  in  it  at  a  specific  record 
(card).  DISPLAY  lists  the  fields  and  values  of  the 
current  record  It  is  like  displaying  one  card  of 
your  stack  of  file  cards. 

NEXT,  BACK,  FIRST,  LAST  COMMANDS 
These  are  simple  commands  to  move  around  the 
records  of  a  database.  They  allow  you  to  change 
your  current  record  position  in  your  database. 
Since  your  database  is  like  a  stack  of  file  cards 
you  can  think  of  these  commands  as  moving  to  a 
different  card  They  do  exactly  as  they  say.  If 
you  have  used  the  display  command  you  will  see 
your  current  record  If  you  type 
NEXT<ENTER>  you  will  move  to  the  next 
record  and  see  it  (which  becomes  your  current 
record).  If  you  are  at  the  last  record  and  type 
NEXT<ENTER>  nothing  will  happen  because 


there  is  no  next  record.  Remember  when  you  use 
these  commands  you  have  to  type  the  whole 
command  and  then  enter.  But  after  you  have 
typed  it  once  you  can  type  <F5xENTER>  to 
repeat  the  command.  It  doesn't  matter  if  you  are 
displaying  records  or  not  These  commands  still 
move  your  current  record  position  whether 
visible  or  not. 

USING  THE  COMMANDS 

Below  1  will  list  exact  key  presses  with  comments 
in  ().  We  will  LOOK  at  the  OAZET.DBF 
provided  on  your  database  cartridge.  It  consists  of 
the  information  about  the  countries  of  the  world. 
Each  record  consists  of  the  values  for  a  particular 
country  for  the  fields  of  the  database.  You  have 
loaded  ARCHIVE  as  described  above. 

look  "mdv  l_gazet_dbf  <ENTER> 

disp!ay<ENTER> 

last<ENTER> 

first<ENTER> 

next<ENTER> 

<F5><ENTER> 

<F5><ENTER> 

(do  many  times) 

last<ENTER> 

back<ENTER> 

<F5xENTER> 

<F5xENTER> 

(do  many  times) 

close<ENTER> 

quit<ENTER> 

The  above  exercise  is  indeed  very  simple  without 
more  commands  we  wouldn't  find  much  use  for 
ARCHIVE.  Try  experimenting  with  other 
commands  on  your  own.  Next  issue  we  will  cover 
more  commands  in  detail. 


ARCHIVE  BASED  SOFTWARE 
FOR  THE  QL 

Wood  and  Wind  Computing 
RR3  Box  92 
Cornish.  NH  03745 


2  5 


text87    and  QuiU 

JR**T-±  III 

Peter  Hale,  P.O.  Box  8763,  Boston,  HA  02114 

When  text*1  arrives  at  your  mailbox,  it  is  not 
quite  ready  to  meet  your  specific  needs.  It  must 
be  reconfigured  to  your  standards. 

R.E CONT i gur  e  First  off,  execute  the  recon 
file  in  order  to  reconfigure  your  working  copy, 
important  defaults  are  then  written  into  your 
working  text1':  millimeters  vs.  inches,  various 
default  drive  names,  Baud  settings,  etc. 

You  can  change  many  text*1  defaults  from  the 
Parameter  command  later,  but  you  must  set  your 
page  length  correctly  to  66  lines  per  page,  since 
text81's  default  is  70  for  A4  paper.  This  is 
the  time  to  select  default  drives,  the  printer 
port,  (par,  serl  or  ser2)  and  the  Baud  rate. 

if  you  forget,  all  is  not  lost.  Many  defaults 
u:  be  "eset  within  the  program  and  will  auto- 
load if  you  save  them  in  the  conf igure_C87  file. 

When  first  executing  text11,  the  program  attempts 
to  load  three  associated  files  that  provide  what 
you  want  in  the  way  of  features.  These  are  the 
driver_P87,  f ounts_A87 .  and  conf igure_C87  files. 

Part  ii  discussed  driver  and  founts  files,  but 
first  a  quick  review. 

The  driver JUJ7  file  holds  all  information  about 
your  printer.  (Quill  reads  the  printer__dat  file 
each  time  a  document  is  printed;  the  printer 
driver  for  text*1  is  loaded  into  memory.)  it 
also  keeps  information  about  Attached  screen  font 
representations  (printypes)  -  for  example,  you 
may  have  let  Roman"! 6  screen  font  represent  a 
double-high  printer  font  or  you  may  prefer  green 
ink  to  white  to  represent  normal  fonts. 

Also  saved  in  the  dr  iver_P87  file  is  your  cncice 
of  hotkeys  to  select  favorite  printer  fonts  with 
Shift-F3  and  Shift-F4. 

You  must  create  the  founts_A87  file,  easily  done, 

to  automatically  load  your  desired  screen  fonts. 
;f  it's  not  there,  eacn  screen  font  (other  than 
Default  11)  must  be  individually  loacec  by  name. 


Finally,  there  is  the  conf i gur e_C87  file  which 
stores  everything  else. 

A  CONFIGURE  FILE  holds  a 
range  of  working  standards  that  you  want  each 
time  you  write  a  document.  If  you  call  it 
configure,  it  will  load  automatically  each  time 
you  execute  text11,  but  it  can  have  any  name  you 
like,  indeed,  I  have  a  suite  of  files  all  called 
update  that  i  load  to  write  this  column,  so  that 
text  is  ready  for  publication  in  UPDATE  magazine. 

A   CONFIGURE      FILE  holds  the 

details  set  by  Layout,  Node,  a  chunk  of  the 
Context  options,  and  all  the  details  of  Ruler  0. 

LAYOUT  Start  with  the  simple  stuff:  press  F3 
and  Layout.  Modify  the  page  layout  to  your 
liking.  The  large  block  on  the  screen  represents 
the  page  of  paper.  There  are  four  choices:  Text 
area,  Footer,  Header,  and  number  of  Columns.  The 
maximum  text  area  is  8"  wiae  and  ;"  (25mm)  less 
than  the  page  length. 

Set  text  area  with  cursor  controls  ana  the  space 
bar.  it  is  independent  of  tne  number  of  columns 
of  text  to  a  page.  But  if  you  want  a  footer  or 
header,  the  text  area  must  be  shortened  to  make 
room  for  them.  A  footer  or  header  requires  at 
least  2/10 ' s  of  an  inch  or  a  line  won't  fit. 

MODE  Next,  change  the  Mode  (F3  H).  You  can 
have  the  body  of  the  text  Frozen  or  automatically 
He-formatted,  and  choose  whether  or  not  the 
margin  indent  is  automatically  activated  or 
manually  set  to  the  first  tab  on  the  Ruler. 

CONTEXT  Then,  begin  work  on  features  reached 
from  the  Context  command  (F3  C). 

The  first  choice  is  iindow,  which  lets  you  change 
the  size  and  position  of  the  working  window 
(perhaps  to  make  room  for  a  concurrent  clock  or  a 
CAPS  indicator)  or  simply  to  meet  your  monitor's 
requirements. 

The  next  choice  in  C  is  Video.  You  can  have  the 
screen  Compressed  or  not,  i.e.  whether  or  not 
the  screen  presentation  shows  the  scale  cf  line 
feed  you  have  set  in  a  Ruler. 

You  can  also  choose  whether  or  not  the  screen 
display  is  normal  (colored  ink  on  a  b*ack  screen"; 


or  inverse  (a  white  background  to  all  text  with 
white  ink  shown  in  black). 

Finally,  you  can  set  the  Sea  1  e  at  which  pixels 
correspond  to  widths  on  the  page.  The  default  is 
60  pixels  per  inch,  but  can  be  set  from  50  to 
180.  At  180  it  spreads  out  the  words  and  lines 
so  that  a  vision  impaired  person  could  Attach  a 
huge  screen  font  to  normal  printer  text  output 
and  have  no  problem  seeing  the  screen.  At  50,  it 
lets  you  see  most  of  a  condensed  printype  line  on 
the  screen. 

At  this  point  the  next  choice  in  C  is  Save. 
Pressing  S  prompts  for  a  file  named  configure. 
If  you  accept  tne  default,  that  file  will  be 
auto-loaded  when  you  next  use  text17,  but  you  car, 
give  it  any  name  and  thus  have  a  range  of 
settings  available  for  use  as  required.  Whatever 
name  you  give  it  will  have  the  extension  _C87. 

After  Saving  the  changes  to  date,  (in  case  of  a 
power  failure,  the  only  way  that  text11  can 
crash),  adjust  the  Parameters.  You  can  choose 
I0X  character  as  the  Decimal  tab  (remember  that 
the  comma  is  used  on  the  continent.)  You  can  re- 
select  Length  unit,  some  default  devices  for  file 
and  document  storage,  and  printer  port  and  baud 
rate.  (But  you  cannot  change  the  range  of  alter- 
nate drives  as  well  as  in  the  recon  session.) 
Finally,  you  can  re-select  the  amount  of  memory 
text*'  grabs  for  itself  the  next  time  it  is  run. 
Save  the  configure  file  again, 

The  next  Context  option  is  Load,  it  prompts  for 
the  configure  file  to  be  loaded.  Enter  the  name 
used  to  save  the  configuration,  in  this  instance 
apfiguTf,  to  reload  the  default  settings. 

The  other  three  Context  choices,  Attach,  Driver 
and  Founts  relate  to  driver  and  founts  files. 

RULER  The  last  stage  to  complete  a  configure 
file  is  to  check  out  Ruler  (F3  R).  Probably  there 
will  be  only  Ruler  0,  which  will  have  a  thin 
vertical  cursor  next  to  the  word  Ruler.  This 
Ruler  (Ruler  0)  is  saved  in  tne  configure  file. 
Press  either  T  for  Tabs  or  M  for  Margins  to  reset 
both.  The  Horizontal  Coordinate  changes  as  you 
move  the  cursor  left  or  right  giving  its  absolute 
position  in  tenths  of  an  incn  (or  millimeters). 

Press  M  for  Margin  to  set  a  left  or  right  Margin. 


The  left  Margin  cannot  be  set  to  the  right  of  the 
indent  (open  right  triangle)  nor  the  right  Margin 
to  the  left  of  a  tat.  if  the  indent  is  at  the 
same  position  as  tne  left  Margin,  the  left  Margin 
sign  disappears.  The  indent  can  be  placed  to  the 
right  of  the  left  Margin  to  create  hanging  para- 
graphs, that  is.  paragraphs  with  the  first  line 
to  the  left  of  the  other  lines  in  a  paragraph. 

For  paragraphs  with  indented  first  lines,  place  a 
left  tab  where  indent  commences,  and  set  the  Hode 
to  auto- Indent.  (Are  you  confused  yet?  Indent 
doesn't  mean  indent  unless  you  mean  indent.) 

Unlike  Quill,  which  lets  you  put  a  tab  in  every 
column  if  you  choose,  text17  limits  you  to  twenty 
tabs  between  the  Indent  and  the  right  Margin. 
You  also  cannot  have  tabs  closer  than  4/10's  of 
an  inch,  (text11  locates  characters  in  absolute 
units  and  some  screen  fonts  are  more  than  two- 
tenths  of  an  inch  wide.  The  closest  you  might 
want  tabs  to  ce  is  two  characters,  anyway.) 

Also  unliKe  Quill,  you  can  adjust  line  feed. 
Normal  line  feed  is  1/6"  (or  an  equivalent 
fraction).  in  text11  you  can  micro-adjust  line 
feed.  This  is  handy  for  squeezing  a  line  or  two 
on  a  page  to  avoid  the  need  for  a  second  page. 

Now  go  bac*  to  Context  and  save  this  ruler  to 
your  configure  file  so  that  it  will  always  be 
there  each  time  text11  is  run. 

t  li ^rad 

So?  is  evertning  clear?  Probably  not,  but  this 
is  the  end  of  this  series.  For  questions  (or  to 
submit  tips)  on  using  text*7  or  any  of  the  Psion 
software,  write  the  author.  If  sufficient  volume 
is  received,  we'll  have  3  regular  column. 

if  you  require  an  immediate  response  please  phone 
(617)  889-083Q  or  write  and  enclose  an  S.A.S.E. 

text17  is  £60  from  Softwares?,  33  Savernake  Rd., 
London,  NWS  2^  united  Kingdom.  It  includes 
Qtyp,  an  integrated  spell  checker  with  English, 
French  and  German  dictionaries  -  a  £30  value 
alone.  it  is  availacle  in  the  USA  for  $119.95 
from  EMSoft,  P.O.  Box  8763,  Boston,  MA  02114-8763 
(617)  889 -GS30 . 


11 


A    Mall     File     In  Archive 
Bob  Hartung,  2416  N.  County  Line  Rd.,  Huntertown,  IN  46748 


While  ay  DATAJFILE  and  the  associated 
INFOwriter,  MERGEwriter,  and  QL_LLIST 
programs  satisfy  my  own  devious  purposes 
quite  well,  the  fixed-size  data  fields 
are  not  as  memory-efficient  as  those 
which  are  marked  off  by  de-limiter  codes 
and  vary  in  size  according  to  the  actual 
number  of  characters  entered.  I  used  a 
fixed-size  string  matrix  because  it  al- 
lows much  more  simple  access  to  files  as 
well  as  faster  search  and  re-order  in 
SuperBasic. 

I  experimented  with  variable-length 
fields  in  a  massive  string  but  found  the 
QL  limits  the  length  of  each  string  to 
no  more  than  32765  bytes.  A  sequential 
INSTR  search  or  a  sort  of  several  such 
string-array  elements  is  unacceptably 
slow. 

Since  the  only  other  alternative  is 
to  directly  access  data  to  and  from  a 
reserved  block  of  memory  in  RAM,  which 
is  best  done  in  machine  code,  rather 
than  trying  to  "re-invent  the  wheel"  it 
seemed  to  me  to  make  more  sense  to  make 
use  of  Archive  programming.  Because  of 
the  large  memory  overhead  to  store  the 
program  itself,  in  an  unexpanded  QL  the 
creation  of  a  simple  mailing  list  in 
Archive  actually  allows  about  50  fewer 
file  items  than  in  my  DATA_FILE.  With 
added  RAM,  however,  Archive  is  more  ef- 
ficient and  faster. 

(By  the  way,  if  you  want  to  add  the  8 
or  16  ICs  needed  to  fully  populate  your 
Trump  Card  board,  the  41256AP-10  chips, 
available  from  suppliers  like  Sabina  in 
CA  for  about  $1.50  each,  plus  $10  S  &  H, 
are  easily  installed.  Bend  the  pin-rows 
in  slightly  by  pressing  them  evenly 
against  a  flat,  clean  surface  before  in- 
sertion into  the  sockets  next  to  those 
already  filled. ) 

No  doubt  this  will  all  be  old  stuff 
to  veteran  QL  users,  but  perhaps  a  once- 
over-lightly on  the  steps  and  procedures 
in  setting  up  a  mail  file  in  Archive 
might  be  helpful.  Please  note  that  <  > 
brackets  mean  ENTER  is  to  be  pressed  af- 
ter keying  in  the    characters    that  are 


contained  within  the  brackets.  Also, 
remember  that  it  is  good  practice  to  get 
into  the  habit  of  always  using  <close> 
on  any  open  file  if  you  will  be  giving 
your  attention  to  something  else  for 
awhile.  Using  <new>  will  perform  a 
close  and  CLS  as  well  as  clearing  any 
file  from  memory. 

Enter  <create>  then  <mail>  to  open  a 
new  file  for  the  definition  of  its  field 
labels.  Since  we  will  be  using  only 
text  or  string  entries,  all  the  labels 
will  have  a  $  suffix.  Numeric  entries  or 
expressions  do  not  use  $  in  the  label. 
After  entering  <create>  <mail>  make 
these  label  entries: 

<TLFIRST$> 

<LASTNM$> 

<ADDRESS$> 

<P0$> 

<STATE$> 

<ZIP$> 

<PH0NE$>  (optional) 

The  use  of  separate  fields  for  first 
and  last  names  as  well  as  for  state  and 
ZIP  will  allow  re-ordering  by  last  name 
or  ZIP.  Key  ENTER  by  itself  to  invoke 
the  endcreate  command  after  the  final 
field-name  entry.  This  will  also  save 
these  definitions  to  a  formatted  disk  or 
mdv  in  drive  2.  The  file  will  remain 
open  for  entry  of  file  data  but  <close> 
for  now  as  we  move  on  to  writing  the 
procedures  for  sorting,  searching,  and 
printing  of  files. 

Enter  <edit>,  which  produces  a  split 
screen  with  proc  displayed,  ready  for 
entry  of  the  first  procedure  name,  which 
is  <doprint>.  This  procedure  prints  a 
title  (if  any)  and  first  name  on  the 
same  line  as  last  name,  the  address  and 
P.O.  on  separate  lines,  then  state  and 
ZIP  on  the  bottom  line.  The  PH0NE$  is 
not  printed  but  displayed  only  during  a 
search.  The  lprint  ""  line  may  be 
repeated  as  many  times  as  necessary  to 
adjust  line-spacing  for  printing  labels 
or  a  null-string  input  line  may  be 
used  here  to  pause  for  insertion  of  the 
next  envelope. 


26 


Procedures  f print  and  f search  call 
doprint.  It  may  also  be  called  while  in 
display  mode  to  do  a  "snap-shot"  print- 
out of  the  item  currently  on-screen. 
The  forder  procedure  sorts  a  currently 
open  file,  which  will  be  saved  as  re- 
ordered when  closed,  unless  look  mode  is 
being  used.  The  fprint  procedure  must 
then  be  called  with  a  separate  command 
unless  you  prefer  to  insert  <forder>  as 
the  first  line  in  the  fprint  procedure. 

The  file  will  be  closed  automatically  at 
the  conclusion  of  both  fsearch  and 
fprint  unless  N  or  n  is  keyed  at  the 
prompt*  The  lower (getkey( ) )  converts 
either  key-stroke  to  the  lower-case 
character.  Command-words  and  functions 
must  be  avoided  in  naming  procedures,  so 
I  usually  add  an  "f"  prefix  to  any 
procedure  name  that  accesses  a  file  and 
"do"  as  a  prefix  if  an  action  is  per- 
formed on  data.  This  allows  more  concise 
and  meaningful  names  without  conflict 
with  Archive  commands. 

Enter  the  lines  as  listed  for  each 
procedure.  If  you  see  an  error  after  a 
line  has  been  entered,  use  the  up/down 
cursor  keys  to  highlight  the  line,  then 
key  F5  to  edit  it  and  re-enter.  If  in- 
sert mode  is  enabled,  key  ESC  then  F3 
then  N  to  commence  the  next  procedure 
listing,  or  just  F3  and  N  if  in  edit 
mode,  F3  then  C  then  ENTER  will  delete 
the  line  that  is  highlighted.  Key  SHIFT 
TABULATE  together  to  backstep  to  a  pre- 
vious listing  or  key  TABULATE  to  step 
downward.  Listing  indentations  are  sup- 
plied by  Archive. 

To  save  all  procedures  currently  in 
memory  key  ESC  (twice  if  in  insert  mode) 
then  enter  <save  "dolprint">  or  your  own 
name  of  8  or  less  characters.  When  Arch- 
ive is  booted  up,  procedures  must  be 
loaded  in  before  they  may  be  called.  Use 
<merge  "name">  instead  of  load  to  add 
procedures  to  any  already  in  memory.  Use 
<llist>  to  print  out  listing  of  all  pro- 
cedures currently  in  memory. 

After  saving  the  set  of  procedures 
that  you  have  keyed  in,  key  <open>  then 
<mail>  then  <insert>  to  add  data  to  the 
mail  file.  Key  F5  to  insert  the  data. 
Key  ESC  to  exit  ALTER/INSERT    mode,  and 


be  sure  to  enter  <close>  before  leaving 
Archive . 

DOLPRINT  LISTING 

proc  doline;x$ 

lprint  x$ 

endproc 
proc  doprint 

lprint  TLFIRST$+"  "+LASTNM$ 

lprint  ADDRESS$ 

lprint  P0$ 

lprint  STATE$+"  "+ZIP$ 
lprint  "" 
endproc 
proc  fclose 

print  "CLOSE  will  occur  to  protect 

file  unless  N  or  n  is  keyed" 
let  yn$=lower(getkey( ) ) 
if  yn$o"n":  close  : endif 
endproc 
proc  forder 

print  "Re-order  by  LASTNM$  or  ZIP$  (L 

or  Z)?" 
let  ro$=lower(getkey( )) 
if  ro$="l":  order  LASTNM$ ; a:  endif 
if  ro$="z":  order  ZIP$;a:  endif 
endproc 
proc  fprint 
all 

doprint 
endall 
fclose 
endproc 
proc  fsearch 
els 

input  "Enter  search-string:  ";srch$ 
find  srch$ 
while  found() 

doprint 

continue 

endwhile 
fclose 
endproc 


SHARPS 
BOX  326 

MECH..  VA.  231 1 1 
TELE (804) 730-9697 
FAX  (804) 746-1978 


2  9 


Switching    Printer     Characters  Bob  Hartung 


About  the  time  Epson  began  bringing 
out  third  and  fourth  generations  of  its 
24-pin  printers  I  finally  scratched 
together  enough  shekels  to  go  for  their 
LQ-510.  My  decision  to  go  with  Epson  vs 
Star,  Panasonic,  Citizen,  Okidata,  Alps 
et  al  was  largely  because  of  a  marked 
cut  in  price  and  the  inclusion  of  a 
7-font  module  to  sweeten  up  the  deal  by 
a  discount  supplier.  I  also  was  look- 
ing at  true  compatibility  with  SW  that 
is  set  up  for  Epson  code,  and  ribbon 
cartridges  that  cost  less  than  half  as 
much  as  those  used  by  other  printers. 

The  screen  dump  in  QL  Easel  and  the 
pre-set  FX-80  codes  in  INSTALL_BAS  work 
as  is,  although  of  course  these  and  the 
TRANSLATE  sequences  may  be  modified  to 
almost  any  printer  command.  One 
translation  I  made  was  to  provide  a 
cross-slash  zero  character,  which  is  not 
in  the  normal  U.S.  font  mode.  To  do  this 
I  used  character  92  in  the  Denmark 
table  by  installing  the  sequence 
"0,ESC,"R,4,92,ESC,"R,0  as  per  the  ex- 
ample given  in  the  QLUG  INFO  section  on 
page  6.  A  copy  of  this  version  of 
INST  ALL...  BAS  printer  data  may  be  stored 
on  another  disk  to  have  the  option  of 
doing  printouts  from  the  PSION  SW  with 
either  the  plain  zero  character  (0)  or 
with  the  cross-slash  (0)  as  in  this  mss. 
just  by  switching  disks  before  calling 
for  a  printout.  If  you  have  RAMdisk 
capabilities,  by  storing  two  or  more 
customized  printer_dat  and  install_dat 
copies  on  your  QUILL  disk,  each  with  a 
distinguishing  title  as  in  listing  1  to 
boot  QUILL,  the  selected  one  may  be  ac- 
cessed from  RAMdisk  instead  of  from  disk 
(or  mdv).  (  C0NFIG_.BAS  is  used  to  set 
the  system  device  to  RAMn.) 

However,  for  my  own  SW  programs  such 
as  QLJLLIST  on  my  UPDATE  Issue  Disk,  I 
had  to  work  out  a  way  of  scanning  list- 
ing and  text  files  for  each  zero,  then 
translating  it  to  the  Danish  character, 
and  returning  to  the  U.S.  font  table. 
Almost  all  alphanumeric  characters  will 
print  correctly  if  the  printer  is  left 
in  the  Denmark  (or  Norway)  font  table, 
except  that  the  reverse-slash  \  recog- 
nized by  the  QL  as  LF  code  would  then 
print  out  as  0  everytime  it  occurred. 

Listing    2  was  used  to  do  this  print- 
out   of  itself.     It  may  also  be  used  for 
printing    any  ASCII  text    file  formed  by  I 
my  INFOwriter  program  or    by    any  other 

3  0 


text  editor  that  does  not  insert  format- 
ting codes  such  as  those  used  by  the 
Psion  SW.  The  routines  used  to  set  left 
margins,  column  width,  and  number  of 
lines  in  each  print-sequence  will  work 
with  any  printer.  Change  the  character- 
switch  code  in  zr$  (line  130)  to  that 
required  by  your  printer. 

Listing  3  is  for  reading  Tasword  2068 
files  and  translating  marked  characters 
to  extended-font  characters  when  printed 
out  (which  the  Tasword  printer-driver 
will  not  read).  As  listed,  it  shows 
comiimands  and  DATA  characters/codes  for 
my  C.  It oh  8510,  but  may  be  adapted  to 
any  printer.  The  £  sign  and  @  are  used 
to  mark  off  any  character(s)  to  be 
translated.  EG:  £ab@  would  print  as 
alpha  and  beta. 

Either  the  Oliger  printer-driver  may 
be  used  or  a  SW  driver  such  as  the  one 
in  Tom  Woods'  ProFile  may  be  stored  in  a 
first-line  REM  statement.  Insert  REM 
in  either  line  10  or  line  20  to  dis- 
able the  one  not  being  used.  Page  nos. 
and  headers  may  be  printed  after  each 
selected  number  of  lines  or  whenever  0 
is  keyed. 

BOOT  ROUTINE  FOR  QUILL 
10  CLEAR:  FLP_USE  mdv 

20  INPUT  "Cross-slash  zero  0  y/n?  u;yn$\ 
"Key  ENTER  to  skip  printer  set  ";a$:  IF 
a$=""  THEN  GO  TO  100 

30  INPUT  'PICA=P  ELITE=M  C0ND=g  DRAFT =0 
or  LQ=1?  ' ;F$ 

40  INPUT  'LF:   1/8"=0  or  1/6"=2?';L$ 
50  INPUT  ' LM  cols  n?   ' ;C:  C$='l'  &  CHR$( 
C) 

60  INPUT  ' B0LD=E  or  cancel  B0LD=F?  ';B$\ 
'PROP  1=0N  0=OFF?  ';prp:  prop$=V  &  CH 
R$(prp) 

70  OPEN  #7,ser1 

80  PRINT  #7,CHR$(27);F$;CHR$(27);L$;CHR$ 
(27);C$;CHR$(27);B$;CHR$(27);prop$ 
90  CLOSE  #7 

100  IF  yn$=="y"  THEN  COPY  mdv1_printerZ_ 
dat  TO  ram1__printer_dat:  COPY  mdv1_insta 
HZ_dat  TO  ram1_install_dat:  ELSE  COPY  m 
dv1_printer_dat  TO  ram1_printer_dat :  COP 
Y  mdv1_install_dat  TO  ram1_install_dat 
110  WINDOW  512,256,0,0:CSIZE  2,1:CLS 
120  AT  2, 11 '.PRINT  "LOADING  QL-WP" 
130  AT  4, 13: PRINT  "version  ";2.1 
140  AT  6,6:PRINT  "copyright     1984  PSIO 
N  LTD" 

150  AT  8,12:PRINT  "word  processor" 


160  CLOSE  #1: CLOSE  #2: WINDOW  #0,400,20,3 
5,215 

170  EXEC_W  MDV1_QLWP 

180  OPEN  #1,scr:OPEN  #2,scr 


LPRINT0_O 

10  PRINT  'Enter  YOUR  printer  codes  in  li 
ne  20'V  or  omit  10-20  if    not  needed': 
PAUSE  100 

20  CLS:  INPUT  'CPI:  P=10  M=12  panelset  C 
onds/Draft  ' ;cpi$:  OPEN  #7,ser1:  PRINT  # 
7,CHR$(27);cpi$:  CLOSE  #7 
25  INPUT  'Use  cross-slash  0  y/n?  1 ;cz$ 
30  CLS:  CLS  #0:  INPUT  #0;'Q  to  quit'W'P 
rint  listing  or  text  in  drive  #';drv$:  ni 
d$='mdv'  &  drv$  &  '_':  IF  drv$='q'  OR  dr 
v$='Q'  THEN  STOP:  END  IF  :  PRINT  'Change 

line  30'Vfrom  mdv  to  flp  for  disc' 
40  PRINT  'Key  F5  TO  SCROLL  TK2  DIRECTORY 
1 :  PAUSE  100:  DIR  md$ 

50  INPUT  #0;   'File  Name?  ';y$:  md$=md$  & 

y$ 

60  CLS  #0:  curln=0:  remln=0:  REMark  curr 
ent  line;  remaining  line 
70  OPEN.IN  #8,md$ 
80  OPEN  #7,ser1 

90  CLS:  INPUT  'Enter  zero  to  cancel  ';(y 
$)\\'No.  lines  this  page-column:  ';lines 
:  IF  lines=0  THEN  CLOSE  #7:  CLOSE  #8:  GO 
TO  30:  END  IF 

100  INPUT  "Columns  per  line:  ";col 
110  INPUT  'Left-margin  setting:   ';lm:  Ira 
=lm-1:  lm$=":  lm$=lm$  &  FILL$('   *  ,1m) 
120  INPUT  'Key  ENTER  to  skip  title-print 

any  chr  to  print  ';t$:  IF  t$  <>'' 
THEN  tl$=":  tl$=tl$  &  FILL$( '   '  ,INT(col 
/2+lm)-INT(LEN(y$)/2)):  PRINT  #7,tl$;y$\ 
:  PRINT  #7\:  END  IF 

130  LET  zr$=CHR$(27)  &  *R'  &  CHR$(4)  &  C 
HR$(92)  &  CHR$(27)  &  'R'  &  CHR$(0) 
140  cnt=0:  IF  t$<>' 'THEN  cnt=2:  END  IF  : 
REMark  count  print-lines 
150  IF  remln<>0  THEN  cnt=cnt+curln-remln 
:  GO  TO  300 
160  nf=1000 

170  IF  EOF(#8)  THEN  CLOSE  #7:  CLOSE  #8: 
GO  TO  30:  END  IF 

180  IF  cnt>=lines  THEN  GO  TO  90:  END  IF 
190  INPUT  #8,p$:  IF  LEN(p$)=0  THEN  p$=' 

200  lp=LEN(p$) 

210  IF  p$(lp)='   '  THEN  lp=lp-1:  END  IF 
220  IF  cz$=='y'  AND  lp<=col  THEN  cnt=cnt 
+1:  PRINT  #7,lm$;:  FOR  x=1  TO  LEN(p$):  I 
F  p$(x)='0'  THEN  PRINT  #7,zr$;:  NEXT  x: 
PRINT  #7:  ELSE  PRINT  #7,p$(x);:  END  FOR 
x:  PRINT  #7: END  IF  :  END  IF 
225  IF  cz$==*n'  AND  lp<=col  THEN  cnt=cnt 

3  \ 


+1:  PRINT  #7,lm$;p$(1  TO  lp) 
230  IF  lp<=col  THEN  GO  TO  170 
240  curln=INT(lp/col) 
250  DIM  lin$(curln,col) 
260  FOR  n=0  TO  curln 

270  LET  clp=col*n+1:  IF  clp>lp  THEN  LET 
clp=lp 

280  lin$(n,1  TO  col)=p$(clp  TO  lp) 
290  END  FOR  n 
300  FOR  k=reraln  TO  curln 
310  IF  cz$=='y'  THEN  PRINT  #7,lm$;:  FOR 
x=1  TO  col:  IF  lin$(k,x)='0'  THEN  PRINT 
#7,zr$;:  NEXT  x:  PRINT  #7:  ELSE  PRINT  #7 
,lin$(k,x);:  END  FOR  x:  PRINT  #7:  END  IF 
:  END  IF 

315  IF  cz$=='n'  THEN  PRINT  #7 ,lm$ ; lin$(k 

,  1  TO  col) 

320  cnt=cnt+1:  IF  cnt>=lines  THEN  remln= 
k+1:  IF  remln>curln  THEN  remln=0:  END  IF 

:  GO  TO  90:  END  IF 
330  END  FOR  k 
340  remln=0 
350  GO  TO  170 

360  DEFine  PROCedure  sv:  SAVE  mdv1_LPRIN 
T01O:   END  DEFine 


TEXT  PRINTER 


1  REM     Pad  this  line  out 
to  117  characters  &  put  P/F  driv 
er  here  with  LOAD  'pr tcode'CODE 
PEEK  23635+ PEEK  23636*256+5 

5  REM  Printer  commands  for  C. 
Itoh  8518 
18  REM  POKE  26783, PEEK  23635+5 
:  POKE  26784, PEEK  23636:  REM  Use 
only  with  line  1  REM  driver 
28  LET  /p=o;  POKE  23388,68:  PO 
KE  23381,3:  POKE  23323,65:  REM  U 
se  only  with  Oliger  driver 
25  ON  ERR  RESET 
38  CLEAR  3327? 

35  INPUT  "Key  any  CHR*  to  repe 
at  pr  i  ntout" '  "or  key  ENTER  for  n 
ew  file, '"■then  key  BREAK  to  ent 
er  title";a*:  IF  a$<>"  THEN  60 
TO  68 

48  ON  ERR  60  TO  45:  CAT 

45  ON  ERR  RESET  :  INPUT  'TASUO 
RD  file  title  to  load:"7** 

58  LOAD  /f*C0DE  33288 

68  ON  ERR  60  TO  188:  CLS  :  LET 
c*="8888*:  LET  I=PI/PI :  INPUT  " 
Left  Margin=nnn?  " ;e*' ' "Pi ca-N  E 
lite-E  Prop-P?  " ;f*' ' "Page  heade 
r— N/L  none"  ^"'Dbl  .sp?  y/NL  " 
;c*<I>""  LINE  FOR  auto-page  OR 
8?  H;c*(I+I  TO  ):  LET  j8=VAL  c*< 
I+I  TO  ) 


78  LPRINT  CHR*  27j-f*;CHR$  27  j" 
6c'  }CHR*  27j"!-|CHR$  27j-L";e*j 

88  LET  b=I :  LET  c=j8:  LET  d*=" 
< 14  INT  <N-33288)/64)" 

98  FOR  N=33288  TO  52480  STEP  6 

4 

100  INPUT  "'!  PRINT  ttNOT  PI jAT 
I+I.NOT  PI LINE  "|VAL  d*j"  0 
FOR  P6  OR  LINE  ■ ;VAL  c*<I+I  TO  ) 
+c*(j0=NOT  PI),"  BREAK  LPRINT  TO 

STOP  " 

110  FOR  J=N  TO  N+UAL  "<S3" 

120  IF  PEEK  J=CODE  THEN  60 
SUB  190:  60  TO  148 

130  PRINT  CHR*  PEEK  J;:  LPRINT 
CHR*  PEEK  J; 

140  NEXT  J 

150  LPRINT 

168  IF  INKEY*="e"  OR  UAL  d*=UAL 
c*<I+I  TO  )  THEN  60  TO  290 
178  NEXT  N 

188  PRINT  FLASH  I"  STOP  LPRINT 
"s  PAUSE  100:  LPRINT  :  60  TO  25 
190  FOR  *=J+1  TO  J* 63 
200  IF  PEEK  f=CODE  "3"  THEN  LET 
J=-f :  RETURN 
23  8  RESTORE  326 
228  FOR  9=1  TO  38 
236  READ  e*:  READ  -f* 
248  IF  PEEK  -f=CODE  e*  THEN  PRIN 
T  e*p  LPRINT  CHR*  VAL 
258  NEXT  g 

268  IF  PEEK  f=CODE  «c"  THEN  LPR 
INT  "c"j 

278  NEXT  i 

288  LET  J=«f:  RETURN 

298  LET  c*<I+I  TO  )=STR*  <j8+MA 
Ld$);  LET  b=b+I:  INPUT  "Insert 
PA6E  ";<b)jb*:  LPRINT  CHR*  27j"X 
Page  «|bj"        ";a*jCHR$  27j"Y": 
LPRINT  :  IF  c*<I)="8'  THEN  LPRIN 
T 

388  IF  c=8  THEN  LET  c=MAL  d* 
318  60  TO  178 

328  DATA  "a" , " 168" , "b" , " 161 " , "z 
","162',"d"  ,"163","e","164","-f", 
"165","9","166","h*,"167*,"i","l 
68","j","169","k","170","1","171 
","m"l"172"}"n","173","o',"174", 
"p","175","q" ,"176","r","177" ,"s 
"}"178","t","179","u","180","v'} 
"181","w","182","x"f"183" 

338  DATA  "6", "185", "D", "184" ,"L 
" ,"187" ,"S" ,"186" ,"X","240" ,"2", 
"188- 

9999  SAME  /"tasprt"  LINE  18 


Software  for  the  QL  that  really  works 

Now  has  in-stock  the  very  best  true  WYSIWYG 
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spell  check  and  several  new  features,  (and 
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fountext11  graphic  drivers  $49.95 
founted**  font  editor  $29.95 

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your  Sinclair  home  or  business  computer.  All  items  listed  are 
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BOOKS 

SYNCWARE  NEWS     Vol.    1     $8     All   volume   1  issues  bound   in  one  book 

TOURING  THE  TS2068  ROM  OPERATING  SYSTEM  by  WIDJUP  $15 
QL  TECHNICAL  GUIDE  $15 

SERVICES  and  PARTS 

QL  Internal  ROM  board-  this  allows  you  to  put  your  favorite 
ROM  version  ( JM ,  JS ,  JSU ,  MGUS ,  MGUK ,  etc.)  on  an  eprom . 
This  will  lower  power  consumption  by  the  QL  by  about  20% 
&  drop  the  internal  heat  by  close  to  50  degrees  fahrenheit. 
There  is  also  room  on  the  eprom  for  us  to  include  one  of 
the  following  programs  if  you  are  an  owner  of  one  of  them: 
ICE,  QFLASH,  TKII,  SPEED  SCREEN,  TK I  I  I .  Brd  &  eprom  $40  -- 
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should  be  good  for  far  longer  than  ordinary  batteries.  This 
plugs  in  where  the  8032  goes,  and  the  8032  is  then 
installed   in   it.      $20   for  brd  &  battery,   or  $26  installed. 

Replacement  or  backup  power  supply  for  the  QL,  no  serious  user 
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QL  case,  contains  keys  and  bare  motherboard,  no  microdrives.  Can 
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or  even  as  a  start  on  building  your  own     spare  QL.  $20 

Keytops  for  QL  $7.50  Use  to  replace  broken  or  missing  keys,  or 
the  whole  set,    if  need  be.   These  are  originals. 

Micro  Drive  Cartridges  $5  each,  till  supply  improves  for  ones 
with  the  tab.    $4.00  without   the   tab,  each. 

MDV     labels,   3  sheets   for  $1.25.   For  the  QL. 

QL  membranes,    from  Paul   for  $15. 

TS2068  dock  eprom  boards,  bare  $10.00.  These  can  be  used  for  a 
TS2068  program  on  an  eprom  or  can  be  configured  to  use  for 
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Disk  Drives,  both  3  1/2  and  5  1/4  Order  these  from  Paul  at  $55 
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MERGING  ARCHIVE  and  ABACUS  FILES 

Peter  R.  Hale,  P.O.  Box  8763,  Boston,  HA  02114 

For  most  QL  users  the  first  Psion  program  is 
Quill.    Later  they  brave  ARCHIVE  and  ABACUS. 

A  big  let-down  is  discovering  that  Merge  means 
something  different  in  each  program.  ARCHIVE 
data  files  and  ABACUS  files  do  not  merge. 

Merging  in  ABACUS  overwrites  data  (not  text)  in  a 
spread-sheet  if  the  file  in  memory  and  the  files 
being  merged  are  identical  (except  for  differ- 
ences in  numerical  data.)  However,  formulae  are 
wiped  out  and  the  only  advantage  is  that  merging 
is  quicker  than  loading  another  file. 

In  ARCHIVE  only  programs  can  be  merged. 

So  what  is  the  unhappy  camper  to  do?  It's  rather 
easy,  although  no  one  bothers  to  spell  it  out  in 
words  of  two  syllables.   You  export  and  import. 

Refer  the  Information  Section  of  the  User  Manual 
for  specific  RULES  on  import  and  export  between 
ABACUS  and  ARCHIVE,  but  the  rest  is  fairly  easy. 

First,  when  merging  two  ARCHIVE  databases,  the 
files  must  have  identical  structures  (i.e.  at 
least  the  same  kind  of  data  in  similar  fields.) 

In  ARCHIVE,  type  look  "fnml"  from  the  command 
line  (where  fnml  is  the  first  Jbf  to  merge.) 
Then  type  export  (ESTER)  then  the  name  given  the 
export  file  in  the  quotes  that  appear.  Press 
(ENTER)  again  and  the  file  in  memory  will  be 
formatted  so  as  to  be  imported  to  ABACUS.  Close 
fnml  and  repeat  the  operation  on  fnm2.  (Giving  a 
different  name  to  each  export  file.) 

Now  move  to  ABACUS.  With  the  cursor  in  Al,  press 
F3,  F  for  Files  and  I  for  Import.  Input  an  export 
file  name,  then  press  C  to  import  by  Columns. 

When  the  first  file  is  imported,  ARCHIVE  field 
names  appear  in  the  first  row.  Go  to  column  A  in 
the  row  below  the  one  specified  in  the  Grid  Use 
window  and  import  the  next  file  at  that  cell. 

The  field  names  of  that  ARCHIVE  Jbf  appear. 
Delete  this  row  with  the  Grid  command, 

If  the  two  files  are  compatible,  (i.e.  all  first 
names  are  in  the  same  column,  etc.),  export  the 
spread-sheet  formatted  for  import  to  ARCHIVE. 


The  only  limitation  is  that  the  combined  total  of 
the  two  _dbf  files  cannot  exceed  252  records. 
(You  can  change  or  add  field  names  to  an  ARCHIVE 
file  by  editing  the  text  in  the  first  row.) 

Now  what  about  merging  ABACUS  files? 

It's  not  quite  so  simple,  but  it  is  quite  useful 
and  quick,  once  you  get  the  hang  of  it. 

For  example,  if  you  keep  automobile  expenses  on 
one  spreadsheet  and  home  utility  expenses  on 
another,  you  may  want  to  integrate  data  from  both 
to  report  total  household  expenses. 

Integrating  two  spreadsheets  in  their  entirety  is 
possible,  but  considerably  trickier  than  can  be 
covered  here.  What  is  simple  is  to  integrate  the 
important  data  from  the  two  spreadsheets. 

For  example,  it  is  probably  not  important  to  have 
oil,  gas,  repairs  and  insurance  separately  iden- 
tified for  each  month  in  a  combined  spread-sheet. 
Monthly  total  automobile  expenses  are  what  count. 

In  a  corner  of  the  spread-sheet  create  a  one  word 
column  heading  in  text  (AutoMonExp) ,  then  gather 
monthly  totals  from  whereever  by  the  appropriate 
cell  reference  calls  directly  below  this  heading 
(no  blank  rows,  please!)  (You  could  also  have  a 
Month  column  with  the  names  of  each  month.) 

Use  the  File  Export  command  to  export  the 
appropriate  grid  range  to  an  Abacus  compatible 
file  by  Columns  (you  must  include  the  text 
headings  in  the  specified  range.) 

Load  the  utiltiy  expense  spread-sheet  and  find 
some  free  space  to  set  up  identical  columns  as 
for  the  previously  exported  file.  Now  import 
that  file  (by  columns)  with  the  cursor  in  the 
cell  that  has  the  first  column  heading.  The  data 
(without  formulae)  will  appear  below. 

The  imported  data  can  be  added  to  existing  data 
with  appropriate  formulae  as  TotalExp. 

Yes,  it's  awkward,  but  if  you  can  multi-task  two 
copies  of  ABACUS  and  have  ram-disking,  the 
process  is  very  quick,  indeed. 

And  if  you  think  hard  about  it  and  read  the  RULES 
on  page  1  of  the  information  Section,  you  may 
figure  out  how  to  actually  export  an  entire 
spread-sheet  -  text,  blank  cells  and  all  -  so  as 
to  import  it  (merge)  to  another  spread-sheet. 


5  5 


SAMPLE 


Z88  Fax  News 


September  1990 


Publisher.  Curtis  Claar 

Facsimile  Promo  Productions 

1820  MacTavish  Ct.  #112  •  Rawlins,  Wyo.  82301 
Fax  or  voice  (307)  324-6600 


Page  Three 


A  little  tab  will  do  you  in  PipeDream 


For  the  most  part,  Z88's 
PipeDream  is  fairly  simple  to 
use.  However,  the  use  of 
columns  and  the  TAB  key 
seems  to  be  a  regular  cause  of 
confusion,  as  was  brought  to 
my  attention  by  a  reader's  re- 
cent letter. 

The  problem  arises  from 
the  fact  that  PipeDream  is  an 
integrated  program  as  Len  dis- 
cussed in  his  column  this 
month.  But  this  is  potentially  a 
very  powerful  combination. 

The  spreadsheet  application 
requires  a  simple  key  sequence 
to  move  between  columns. 

However,  the   

arrow  keys 
arc  reserved 
for  cursor 
movement 
through  text 
lines  and  nu- 
merical en-   

tries.  Therefore  the  logical 
choice  of  the  TAB  key  was 
made. 

Yes,  the  TAB  key  does  "tab" 
to  the  next  column.  Note  the 
use  of  the  word  "column" 
here.  The  letters  on  the  screen 
top  do  not  represent  traditional 
labs.  Instead  they  show  actual 
column  placement. 

To  clarify,  when  you  type 


text  starting  in  any  column,  it 
may  extend  beyond  the  end  of 
the  column,  overlapping  other 
columns.  However,  the  text 
stili  belongs  to  the  column  it 
started  in.  When  the  text  wraps 
around  to  the  next  line  (con- 
trolled by  O  H),  it  continues 
in  the  column  it  started  in. 

For  example,  use  the  TAB 
key  to  position  the  cursor  into 
column  C  (the  column  be- 
tween the  letters  "B"  and  "C"). 
Type  text  until  the  line  wraps 
around.  It  will  restart  in  col- 
umn C. 

Now  move  the  cursor  down 

  a   line  and 

back  to  col- 
umn A  by  hit- 
ting SHIFT- 
TAB  twice  or 
O  TAB.  Type 
a  few  lines 
and  you'll  see 
that  the  text  wraps  in  A. 

To  gel  a  better  feel  for  this, 
on  the  last  line  that  starts  in 
column  A,  use  TAB  to  move  to 
column  B.  You  will  notice  that 
the  text  that  started  in  column 
A  is  now  "hidden"  under  an 
empty  column  B.  Now  move 
the  cursor  back  to  column  A. 
You  will  see  that  your  full  line 
starting  in  A  did  not  disappear. 


But  if  you  are  just 
typing  a  letter  or  paper, 
(tabs  and  columns)  can 
be  annoying. 


Z88  TECH  HELP 

James  Hunkins 

Now  move  the  cursor  to  the 
end  of  the  A  column.  Keep  try- 
ing to  move  the  cursor  past 
that  point.  The  cursor  will  not 
move  into  column  B  as  the  text 
in  column  B  is  blocking  it  and 
the  cursor  can  not  move  "un- 
der" column  B's  text.  Howev- 
er, the  text  is  still  there  as 
shown  by  its  scrolling  by  in 
the  now  narrow  column  A. 

If  on  rare  occasion  you 
can't  seem  to  get  the  text  back 
to  the  start  in  column  A  and 
the  cursor  is  silting  in  column 
A,  just  move  the  cursor  to  a 
different  line  or  type  O 
Things  should  then  be  correct. 

Now  all  of  this  can  be  use- 
ful if  you're  doing  some  spe- 
cial layout  tricks  on  your  page 
or  combining  spreadsheet  data 
in  a  letter.  Or  if  you're  trying 
to  set  up  a  data  base.  But  if 
you  are  just  typing  a  letter  or 
paper,  it  can  be  annoying. 

If  they  need  to  indent  one 
line  only  (as  in  the  start  of  a 
paragraph),  most  people  resort 
to  manually  inserting  spaces. 
This  works  fine  most  of  the 


time  and  is  nearly  as  fast  as  us- 
ing the  traditional  TAB. 

However,  occasionally  on 
the  288  and  commonly  on 
printers  when  using  micro- 
spacing, the  extra  spaces  will 
confuse  things.If  this  happens, 
use  the  "ghost  space"  (a  dotted 
underscore)  achieved  by  press- 
ing  O  SPACE  instead  of 
SPACE.  This  character  will  not 
show  up  on  printouts  but  will 
guarantee  the  space's  position. 

By  the  way:  You  can  also 
use  this  "ghost  space"  to  keep 
the  line  from  splitting  between 
two  words  (ex.  "Mr.  Smith"  or 
"Z88  Fax  News"). 

There  are  a  multitude  of  ex- 
amples on  how  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  tab  and  column  fea- 
tures of  PipeDream.  Two 
books  I  use  for  examples  arc 
"Using  Your  Z88"  and  "Z88 
Real  Power  Computing." 
•  •  • 

In  upcoming  issues  I  will 
review  Z88  resources  on  bul- 
letin board  systems  including 
THE  CLUB  Forum  on  Com- 
puserve and  several  local 
boards.  I  will  also  be  investi- 
gating adding  a  graphics  head- 
er on  your  letters. 

Keep  the  letters  coming  to 
me  care  of  Z88  Fax  News. 


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The  Sinclair  Desktop 
Publishing  Journal 


Rainbdrd's  OCP  Art  audio  is  the  BEST  SCREENS  graphics  editing  package  available 
for  the  Sinclair  Spectrum/Spectrum  emulated  TS206a 

Now  that  I  have  made  such  a  bold  statement.  1  must  back  it  up  with  same  facta 
Those  are  the  rules  of  the  road  for  writers  engaged  in  software  review  articles. 

Art  Studio  is  a  SCREENS  graphics  editing  package  for  the  48K  Sinclair  Spectrum 
or  •  Sfeectnim-emulated  Timex  Sinclair  2068  computer.  The  software  package 
allows  the  user  to  draw  lines,  circles,  boxes  and  polygons  on  screen  as  well  as  type 
text,  add  cokr,  window  cut  and  paste  anywhere  on  screen,  rotate,  enlarge,  shrink 
and  stretch  objects,  and  turn  individual  pixels  on  or  off. 

Hardware  Support 

The  Art  Studk)  software  package  comes  on  cassette  along  with  an  excellent  58 
page  manual.  The  first  part  of  the  program  which  loads  into  the  computer  is  for 
configuration  of  input  and  output  devices. 

Art  Studio  supports  several  methods  of  manipulating  its  Arrow  Printer/Cursor. 
The  Arrow  is  used  to  move  around  the  screen  in  order  to  select  Menu  Bar  choices, 
or  to  select  points  for  drawing  lines,  circles,  boxes,  etc.  Supported  are  the  Kempston 
joystick  I/T,  Sinclair  Interface  2  joystick  port,  the  Keyboard  Arrow  Keys,  User 
Defined  Keyboard  Keys  or  an  AMX  Mouse  (with  the  latter  being  the  choice  of  the 
author). 

(See  Art  Studio,  page  2) 


Prologue- 
One  very  useful  operation  available  in  Pixel 
Print  versions  greater  than  vZQ  is  the  ability 
to  SAVE  the  information  on  screen  to  a 
SCREENS  file.  At  first  look,  this  does  not  seem 
important  What  would  you  want  to  save? 
Saving  text  or  icons  may  have  an  ocasional 
use,  and  saving  a  SCREEN*  graphic  which  has 
already  been  imported  into  the  column  does 
not  sound  particularly  useful  either_j.tr  does  it? 


What  if  you  had  a  program  which  included  a 
Main  Menu  which  took  up  the  entire  screen. 
You  as  the  writer/editor  wish  to  show  this 
Main  Menu  in  your  newsletter,  etc  along  with 
arrows  pointing  to  various  areas  within  this 
Main  Menu  graphic  accompanied  by  text.  How 
could  this  'Page"  be  realized? 

The  trick  is  to  expand  your  mind  beyond  the 
concept  that  a  SCREENS  is  a  SCREENS  and  is 
only  one  size.  Remember  that  Pixel  Print 
columns  are  really  just  a  series  of  SCREENSs 
one  after  another.  So  here  is  what  we  need  to 
dc*  (See  SCREENS,  page  4) 


o  Review:  Rain  bird's 
OCP  Art  Studk. 

o  Utilizing  Pixel 
Print's  SCREENS 
Save  Utility 

o  Something  From  The 
SDPJ-s  Oops  Dept 

o  Word-Master  VZO 

o  And  more__ 


From  The  Editor 

It  was  brought  to  my  attention  that  Jack 
Dohany  is  the  North  American  distr  ibutor 
of  Word-Master.  Jack  sent  me  a  letter 
reminded  me  not  to  forget  our  cousins  in 
Canada.  This  should  not  have  been  difficult 
since  I  have  spent  the  last  three  weeks 
entering  data  into  my  "Country  Inns  of  Ontario' 

Jack  also  wanted  me  to  mention  that  he  customizes  Word-Master  for  disk  drives  and  printer 
interfaces,  but  NOT  for  printers.  Word-Master  comes  with  a  "Customf  extention  program  so 
the  user  can  customize  for  his/her  own  printer. 


Wafadrive  users,  DONT  FORGET,  the 
Aerco  parallel  printer  interface  is 
Spectrum  compatible  and  may  be 
plugged  into  the  back  of  the  Wafadrive 
to  provide  additional  printer  support! 
This  is  extreamly  useful  when  you 
transfer  Print  Factory  programs  to 
Wafadrive.  With  this  configuration, 
there  is  no  need  to  try  and  "patch" 
Wafadrive  graphics  code(s). 


The  Sinclair  Desktop  Publishing  Journal 


Fall  1990  Page  2 


[Art  Studio,  from  page  1) 

Several  printer  interfaces  are  supported  for  printer  output,  and 
include:  Kempston,  Tasman  parallel,  Tasman  serial,  Interface  1 
(serial)  and  the  AMX  Mouse  built-in  parallel  printer  I/F. 

SCREENS  [or  graphics)  as  well  as  Font  SAVEs  and  LOADs  are 
all  accomplished  via  cassette.  There  is  both  a  Sinclair  Micro 
Drive  and  Opus  Discovery  disk  interface  support  version 
available  for  additional  cost  Since  the  entire  program  is  written 
in  machine  code,  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  convert  the  program 
to  work  with  North  American  disk  interfaces  (but  rumor  has  it 
that 


Windows:  This  Option  is  used  to  cut,  paste  and  manipulate  user 
defined  areas  on  the  screen.  Windows  is  probably  the  most 
power  set  of  of  tools  within  the  package  and  it  includes:  Define 
Window,  use  Last  Window,  Clear  Window,  Cut  and  Paste  or 
Cut,  Paste  and  Clear.  You  can  also  Re-Scale,  Rotate,  Flip,  Merge 
and  place  Multiple  copies  of  a  window  on  screen. 

Filt  Like  many  other'  graphics  programs,  Fill  allows  an  area  on 
screen  to  be  "Filled"  with  a  particular  pixel  pattern.  The 
difference  with  Art  Studio  is  that  "Fill"  patterns  can  be  edited 
by  the  user.  There  is  also  a  Solid  Fill  choice 


some  hackers 


currently  working  on  it).  - 


Software 


first 
;ed  to 


When  the 
LOADs,  the  use 
configure  Art 
input      device  (Keyboard, 
Joystick,  Mouse,  etc)  and  for 
the   printer   interface  and 
special  printer  codes  which 
are  to  be  used.  Then  the 
program    LOADs  additional 
machine  code  from  tape  and 
asks    the    user    if  he/she 
wishes  to  SAVE  the  "customizedHcopy  of  the  program  (to 
cassette). 

Art  Studio  Features: 


J- 

rint  iFilpI  flttrs  lp«i 

nt  |  Misc.  |  Undo  ■  <* 

UindOWS 

I  Text  I  Shapes 

Define  window 
Last  window 
Uhoie  screen 
Clear  window 

Cut,  Rear  A<  pasted 

invert  window 
Re -scale  window 
Clear  re-scale 
Flip  horizontal 
Flip  vertical 

^<a|  ■ 
fJH  1 

Rotate  1/4 
Rotate  1/2 
Rotate  3/4 

Merge  x 

File 


Select  brush : 

□□lulu 


Art  Studio  allows  the  user  to  manipulate  text  and  graphics  over 
the  entire  computer  screen. 
At  the  top  of  the  screen  is  a 
Menu  Bar  with  13  menu 
Options.  All  but  three  of  the 
menu  Options  will  activate  a 
pull-down  menu  of  choices. 
Quite  simply,  the  whole 
program  operates  very 
much  like  Apple  Macintosh 
software  In  that  all  Options 
and  Choices  are  selected 
using  "Point  and  dick".  This 
is  where  the  pointer  is 
placed  over  a  menu  Option, 
or  menu  choice,  and  the  fire 

button,    keyboard    key,   or  I  

mouse  button  is  pressed  to  pull  down  a  menu  or  select  a  choice 

The  first  question  to  mind  is:  If  the  Menu  Bar  takes  up  the 
upper  two  screen  lines,  how  can  the  whole  screen  be  used  to 
create  graphics?  The  answer  is  in  the  up  and  down  arrow  Menu 
Bar  Options.  These  (the  up  and  down  arrow)  Options  scroll  the 
screen  to  allow  the  use  of  the  entire  screen  for  editing. 

The  rest  of  the  Menu  Bar  Options  include  Windows,  Fill,  Fife, 
Magnify,  Text,  Shapes,  Print,  File,  Attributes,  Paint,  Misc.  and 
Undo.  Now  let  us  took  at  each  of  the  Menu  Bar  Options  and  each 
of  their  respective  Choices  to  get  a  handle  on  what  Art  Studio 
can  da 


SCREEN$  file  SAVEs, 
LOADs,  VERIFYs  and 
MERGEs  are  accomplished 
from  within  File  Option.  The 
Microdrive  and  Disk  versions 
provide  catalogue  features 
which  are  quite  impressive 
for  Microdrive/Disk  SCREENS 
file  management. 

Magnify:  This  is  one  of  the 
most  important  features  of 
any  graphics  programs.  It 
allows  the  user  to  choose  an 
area  on  screen  to  "Zoom-In" 
upon.  Once  "Zoomed", 
individual  pixels  can  then  be  turned  on  and  off  (again  by  Point 
and  Click).  This  method  was  used  by  the  Author  to  create  the 
graphics  in  "You  Dont  Have  to  be  Artistic  to  Create  These 
Great  Looking  Graphicsf,  The  Sinclair  Desktop  Publishing 
Journal,  Volume  L  Issue  1  Art  Studio  provides  three  levels  of 
magnification,  of  x2,  x4  and  xg. 

Text;  The  Text  Option 
provides  the  ability  to  place 
text  anywhere  on  screen; 
from  Left  to  Right, 
Downwards,  at  Normal, 
Double  and  Treble  Height  and 
Width.  The  user  may  also 
print  Sideways,  in  Bold,  and 
with  Caps  Lock  on  or  off. 
There  is  also  a  Font  Editor. 

The  Font  Editor  Choice  is  an 
entire  Sub  Option  of  its  own. 
It  provides  the  ability  to 
LOAD,  SAVE  and  Edit  the 


SBQQ 
r=o  0  HO  h 


working  font  set  Fonts  can  also  be  Rotated,  Inverted  and 
Flipped.  The  user  may  also  copy  the  Spectrum  ROM  into  the 
Art  Studio  font  RAM.  One  other  quite  fascinating  feature  is  the 
ability  to  capture  a  font  from  a  defined  window  on  the  screen. 
On  its  own,  the  Font  Editor  alone  is  worth  the  price  of  the 
program. 

Shapes:  This  is  the  basic  building  block  Option  for  drawing. 
Points  can  be  placed,  Lines  drawn  (point  A  to  point  B), 
Continuous  Lines  (point  A  to  B,  to  C,  etc),  Rectangles,  Triangles 
and  Circles  can  be  created  on  screen. 

(Continued  on  page  3) 


The  Sinclair  Desktop  Publishing  Journal 


Fall  1990   Page  3 


[Art 


s2] 


V43A.>/orz    ,2. 0  TTo^aX 
Staff 

Hot  off  tfie  pi-kss  is  news  tfiat  the  awaited  version  two  of 
Woid-Mastm-  is  now  available  from  Jack  Dohany.  The  new 
version    includes  the  following  improvements  over  the  original 


There  is  even  a  Ray  making  Choice.  Shapes  can  be  drawn 
Etasttcatly,  and  the  vertices  of  shapes  can  be  "Snapped"  to  each 
attributes  square. 

Print  Hardcopies  to  the  printer  can  be  In  five  different  ski**  txt 
2x2,  3x3,  4x4  and  5x5.  The  print  Option  provides  Grey-Scale 
dumps,  Single  and  Double  Density,  plus  Sideways  printing. 
Printouts  can  be  Left,  Centre  or  Right  Justified.  CRLF  or  CR  can 
be  choosen  directly  from  the  Print  Pull-Down  menu.  There  ie  also 
a  provision  to  print  to  the  2X/Alphacom/TS2040  printer. 

Attributes:  Here  the  user  selects  Ink,  Paper,  Border.  Bright,  Flash, 
Over,  Inverse  and  Transparent  attributes.  There  is  a  Standard 
Choice  to  reset  all  attributes  to  normal  It  is  again  important  to 
note  that  all  Choices  are  chosen  via  Point  and  Click. 

Paint:  The  Paint  Option  controls  some  of  the  main  facilities  for 
"Painting"  on  screen.  Three  different  tools  are  offered-  a  Pen,  a 
Spray  Can  and  a  Brush  Different  Pen  and  Spray  Can  widths 
may  be  Chosen,  and  Brushes  can  be  edited  just  like  a  font 
character  (only  larger). 

Finally  there  is  the  Misc.  Option.  Here  the  user  can  view  the 
entire  screen  (the  Menu  Bar  is  removed),  dear  the  screen,  turn 
on  and  off  tits  large  and  small  "Bright"  grids  or  Change  Colour 
over  a  Window  Defined  area. 

Although  this  article  seems  to  have  been  just  a  list  of  features, 
it  must  be  rjfnembered  that  the  Users  Manual  is  5B  pages  long.  I 
truly  believe  that  just  the  list  of  features  alone  is  enough  to 
justify  the  purchase  of  such  a  package  which  costs 
approximately  £15  (or  $28).  So  if  you  plan  to  do  ANY  graphics 
work  with  your  Stacalir/TS2068,  this  editing  package  is  a  definite 
MUST  HAVE! 

T^S-t2T=*£l   C^«3^->    <u.    Then**.    JC<><:>Ve       Tlie  price  !o,  this  incredible  upgrade  if  you  are  already  a 
By  Mike  Felersiri  registered  owner  of  Word-Master  IDS,  is  only  $10  including 

Well  now,  this  is  the  last  Issue  of  Volume  I,  And  by  golly  we  postage.  So  (»w  IS  the  time  to  upgrades  if  for  some  reason 
made  it  through  the  first  year.  I  hope  that  TSDPJ  has  met  the  you  dont  own  a  copy  of  Word-Master,  there  will  not  be  a  tetter 
expectations  of  our  readers.  time  u,  purchase  it! 

Starting  with  Volume  2,  Issue  1  (Winter  1991)  TSDPJ  will  have  a 
slightly  new  look  based  on  the  new  Word-Master  2H  We  are 
also  planning  to  make  each  issue  larger  with  more  Pixel  Print 
and  Print  Factory  coverage,  along   with   more  graphics  and 


o  The  File  Handling  Menu  has  been  reduced  from  three  to  two 
lines  and  r»w  uses  the  numeric  keys  to  select  the  desired 
disk  drive. 

o  Ttje  current  drive  shown  on  the  menu  is  now  always  correct 
(this  was  a  bug  in  the  early  version.) 

o  With  the  Aerco  and  Larken  versions,  there  are  now  two  keys 
which  catalog  tlte  current  drive.  K  produces  the  standard 
catalog,  and  F  pi-oduces  a  "full"  catalog  which  shows  file 
lengths  and  start  addresses.  With  the  Oliger  and  Zebra 
systems,  a  FORMAT  command  has  been  added. 

o  A  new  ZAP  command  has  been  added  to  clear  all  RAM  files. 

o  The  "List  Files'  or  Q  command  now  also  shows  the  space 
remaining  in  RAM,  and  the  total  length  of  all  files  in  RAM 

(at  the  top  of  the  screen.) 

o  All  Word- Mast  w  liles  are  provided  in  an  "Un-Packed"  form 
plus  150  shareware  graphic  files.  Thus  version  2  occupies 
three  3AM  diskettes. 

o  Several  otiiei  improvements  have  been  made  to  the  quirks  in 
version  UK  There  was  also  a  slight  decrease  in  available 
file  space  which  varies  form  disk  system  to  disk  system,  but 
tlie  space  available  is  still  at  least  29K. 


So,  with  continued  support,  The  Sinclair  Desktop  Publishing 
Journal  has  a  long  and  bright  future  ahead  MJF 


RS.   Mum's  the  word,  but  look  out  for  a  SDPJ  sister  publication 
i  L  199L 


This  issue  of  TSDPJ  was  created  using  Word-Master  &  Typeliner 
(first  three  pages)  and  Pixel  Print  Plus  version  4X1  (for  the  last 
page)  Tasword  II  was  used  to  edit  the  text  for  the  last  page 
a-aphics  were  NMJ  saved  with  a  Larken  Disk  interface  and  edited 
with  Art  Studio.  Graphic  transfers  were  made  with  TSXfer 
utility. 


(*X/i  ere  <o 

d~ Master.       Jack  Dohany 

390  Rutherford 
Redwood  City,  CA  94061 


i  Mouse;  Date!  Electronics  • 
Govan  Road 

Fenton  Industrial  Estate 
Kenton,  Stoke  On  Trent, 
ST4  2RS,  England 

Microsnips  • 
37  Seaview  Road 
Wallasey, 

Merseyside  L45  4QN 


First      of      all,      LORD  i 
SCREEN  $   graphic    into  the 
of    a    Pixel    Print  column 
use    the   mo  v e  function 
the    column    "Uindow"  upwa 
Just      the      UPPER  HALF 
SCREEN  $    Graphic    i£  ShOWi 
use    the   Save  function 
the      column  "Uindow" 
SCREEN $ ,    then    SPUE  the 
Once    this    is   done,  you 
leave    the     Pixel  Print 
(ex amp  le    be  low :  ) 


BLANK  AREA  ABOUE  GRAPHIC 
f 1/2    SCREEN    OR    11  LINES) 


n        your  Epilogue... 

m i  d  d  le 

Next,  Rt    this      point,      many      users  of 

to     move  Pixel   Print   Professional  version 

rd   until  5.0      are      saying      "Uai l      Just  a 

of        the  minute—there    is    an      easier  way 

ng.      Now  than      that!"      and  they  are 

to      SPUE  correct,    there    is.      In    the  case- 

as  a  of   Pixel    Print    Professional,  you 

column.  can    position    the    column  "Uindow" 

can      now  just      as      described      above,  but 

program  instead   of    saving      the      screen* , 

all  you  need  to  do  is  call  up 
the      Pixel  R  r  t  i  s  t  graphics 

program  to  add  the  lines  and 
arrows.  So  all  of  this  can  be 
a  c  c  offlp l i  s  h  e  d  with  o  u t  l e  a  v  i  n g  the 
c  o l umn    (or    Pixel  Print). 


ETSX  TRANSFERS 


Icon 
SCREEN  $ 
Tech  Draw 
UDG 

Cata  logue 


Font 
Icon 
SCREEN* 
UDG 


I  Cassette 


I  Cassette  I 


Next,  LORD  in  your  favorite 
SCREEN*  graphics  editing  program 
and  then  load  in  the  SCREEN  $ 
graphic  (from  the  column 
window) .  Rt  this  point,  you  may 
now  add  a  r  r  ows  with  lines  and 
text  which  extend  above  the  (top 
half  of  t  h  e  .1  SCREEN  $  graphic 
into  the  empty  half  of  the 
screen   as   seen  below:  


Icon 
SCREEN  $ 
Tech  Draw 
UDG 

Cata  logue 


Fonts,    Icons,   UDG  s , 
SCREEN*    &    DisK.  Cat 
Su  ppof ted  . 

rSpe  c  i  a  l  utility 
to    con ve  r  t  Te  ch 
•       Draw  screens. 
/  r-Po  i  n  t    &  C  l  i  c  k 

/         /  _Send  to 

Printer 

TRANSFERS  ' 
/  /     TO  : 


Fonti 
Icon/ 
SCREEN* 
UDjG/~  

Printer 


Casset  te 


Casse  t  te 


Finally,  the  finished  graphic  is 
SRUEd ,  the  graphic  editing 
program  exited,  then  the  Pixel 
Print  progr am  i  s  LORDe d  and  the 
column  is  reLOfiDed.  The  column 
"Uindow"  should  now  be 

repositioned        so  that  the 

"Edited"  SCREEN*  graphic  can  be 
loaded  b  a  c  k  into  the  column  from 
w here    it   was    r em o v e d . 

The  same  steps  can  be  taken  to 
add  arc ows  an  t  e x  t  to  t h  e  bo  1 1  om 
half  of  a  SCREEN*  graphic  in  a 
Pixel  Print  column  creating  an 
i  fflp r  e  s  s  i  v  e  and  professional  look 
(See    Figure    3 ) . 


TSX 

F'ea  tares 


-Fonts,    Icons,    UDGs , 
SCREEN  $    &    Disk  Cat 
Supported  . 

-Spe  c  i  a  I  utility 
to  convert  Tech 
Draw  screens. 

&  Click 
Send  to 
Printer 


Lo ad  Print 
&    COPY  Code 


u  Che  c 
for  errors 
be  f  o  r e  you 
transfer 


"up  to  3 
1  d  r  i  v  e 


drives  or 

&    RAM  disk 


"Supports  Lar Ken  & 
Ro  t  r on  i  cs  I/Fs 


L 


The  Sinclair  Desktop 
Publishing  Journal 


3 


If  you  have  any  questions  or 
comments  about  the  journal 
Please   send    them  to: 


Mike  Fe  le  rs  k  i  , 
1284-  Brushwood 
Cincinnati,  OH 


Ed  i  tor 
flv  e  n  u  e 
4-5224 


For  rep  ly s 
addressed 


,  Please  send  a  self 
: t  amp e d   en  v  e  I  ope  . 


The  Sinclair  Desktop  Pu  bushing 
Journal  is  a  publication  of 
Bottle  Cap  Software  and  Update 
Com p u  t  e r    S y s t e m s  magazine. 

Subscriptions        are  a  v a  i  Labi e 

through  Update  Computer  Systems 
magazine,  and  not  through  Bottle 
Cap    So  f  t wa  re    or    SDPU  directly. 


QL  EMULATOR   for   the  AMIGA 
And  Some  Miscellaneous  Ramblings 
by  Al  Feng 

Yes,  for  those  of  you  who  may  not  have  heard, 
there  is  a  QL  EMULATOR  for  the  AMIGA  hardware 
platform.  The  version  of  the  Rainer  Kowallik's 
[Berlin,  Germany]  emulator  software  (VES, 
software!)  which  Nazir  Pashtoon  and  I  tested  on 
two  AMIGA  computers  last  summer  must  currently 
be  considered  a  beta-version  for  most  North 
Americans. 

But  first  ...  Since  I  have  your  attention  for 
the  next  few  moments,  and  my  soap-box  has  not 
collapsed  beneath  me  yet  (times  change: 
corrugated  cardboard  just  isn't  as  sturdy  as 
peach-wood  ...  ) ,  I  want  to  make  a  few  comments 
about  the  SINCLAIR  community   in  North  America. 

It  seems  that  we,  as  a  community,  we  are  now  in 
some  disarray;  and,  the  number  of  users  and 
vendors  is  diminishing  for  various  reasons.  I 
was  amazed  when  I  found  that  a  factionalism  had 
developed  (existed)  in  the  community;  but, 
sometimes,  I'm  not  looking  at  the  wall  on  which 
the  handwriting  can  be  found.  The  SHARING  of 
ideas  and  experience  is  what  makes  a  community 
strong. 

It  would  seem  that  2068- users  apparently  have  a 
(Z-80)  chip  on  their  shoulder  (so  to  speak)  with 
regard  to  the  existence  of  the  0L.  Some  seem  to 
feel  that  the  QL  is  the  (in)direct  reason  for 
the  demise  of  Sinclair  Research  Ltd. 

While  these  same  die-hard  2068  people  seem  to 
embrace  their  affiliation  to  the  SINCLAIR 
SPECTRUM  via  add-on  ROMs,  they  ignore  the  fact 
that  their  beloved  TS-2068  is  probably  as  much 
an  affront  to  the  "real"  SPECTRUM  user  as  the  QL 
Is  to  the  2068  die-hard  (I've  NEVER  heard  of  any 
SPECTRUM  owner  inserting  a  2068  ROM  into  his 
SPECTRUM ! 1 . 

THE       BIG         IF.  If         Uncle         Clive  had 

stayed- the-course ,   stuck     to  what     (t)he(y)  knew 

  If     he     just     had       NOT     ventured     off  to 

un-charted  territory  with  a  "new"  chip,  he 
probably  would  not  have  been  so  bold  as  to  try 
and  build  an  electric  car!  Pandora's  Box, 
indeed . 

Similarly,  2068  users  apparently  fear  that  QL 
users  are  more  likely  to  stray- from- the- fold . 
Of  course,  this  is  with  the  understanding  that 
2068-users  really  don't  even  want  QL-users 
sharing  the  same  wall  outlet  (sort  of  like  have 
sheep  and  cattle  drinking  from  the  same 
watering-hole,  or  something  ...  still,  better  to 
associate  with  them  than  those  sod-busting 
PC-users! ) . 

Some  of  these  ex-QL_usionists  will  describe  the 
many  wonderful  GAMEs  they  have  for  their  2068 
and  lament  that:  "If  they  had  only  had  a 
SPECTRUM/2068  emulator  for  the  QL ,  I  would  have 
bought  one  five  years  ago!"  Right. 


Some  2068  users  like  to  point  to  the  Z-88  as 
"proof  that  the  Z-80  is  a  viable  chip.  But,  if 
they  think  that  there  is  anything  similar 
between  the  SPECTRUM / 2068  and  the  Z-88  other 
than  the  Z-80  processor,  then  they  should  take 
another  look. 

Regardless  of  copyrights  and  patents,  Uncle 
Clive  would  have  abandoned  the  SPECTRUM-based 
operating  system  due  to  limitations.  More 
important  than  a  worrying  about  the  never-to-be 
SPECTRUM  emulator  for  the  QL,  someone  should  be 
working  on  a   Z-88  emulator  for  2068! 

YAWN.  Well,  that  pretty  much  brings  us  back  to 
the  original    topic  of  emulators   for   the  QL. 

Currently,  Kowallik's  QL  EMULATOR  is  NOT  a 
commercial  product;  I  get  the  impression  that  it 
is  a  spin-off  from  some  Doctoral  research;  and, 
I  think  that  in  North  America  we  should  consider 
this  as  being  BETA-version  software  at  the 
present  time. 

This  is  NOT  the  first  EMULATOR  for  the  QL.  A 
DAUGHTER  board  developed  by  ABC- ELECTRON  I K  and 
currently  marketed  by  J0CHEN  MERZ  SOFTWARE  dm 
stillen  Winkel  12  -  4100  Duisburg  11  -  Germany  1 
is  available  (in/from  the  UK)  for  use  in  ATARI 
ST  computers  for  about  170  BP  Sterling  (that's 
about  S340  +/-;   NOT  cheap,    to  say  the  least!). 

For  those  2068  people  out  there  who  may  be 
wondering  why  someone  would  want  an  emulator  for 
the  QL,  it  has  been  noted  by  people  better 
"informed"  than  myself  that  QD0S  may  be  the 
"best"  68000  operating  system  (OS)  for  a 
micro-computer,  bar  none.  NETworking  and 
mul t i -TASK ing  (of  sorts)  are  just  two  of  the 
advanced  capabilities  which  can  be  implemented 
with  minimal,   additional  code. 

Of  course,  the  penny-pinching  penchant  of 
Sinclair  Research  Ltd.  probably  influenced  the 
decision  to  use  the  MC68008  rather  than  the 
MC68000.  Their  demise  put  an  end  to  hardware 
evol ut  ion . 

As  good  as  QD0S  may  be  as  an  OS,  the  hardware 
platform  is  getting  long- in- the- tooth .  The 
68008  CPU  pushing  data  through  an  8-bit  bus 
occassionaly  makes  it  seem  as  though  you  are 
time-sharing     with  someone  else  on  the  computer. 

The  QL  EMULATOR  for  the  AMIGA  hardware  platform 
allows  the  current/potential  QL  user(s)  the 
opportunity  to  maintain  use  of  most  of  his/her 
existing  software,  while  gaining  the  advantage 
of  a   16-bit  data  bus. 

Nazir  assisted  me  with  my  informal  tests. 
Learning  to  double-click  the  mouse  was  the  first 
obstacle  which  1  had  to  overcome!  There  are  some 
other  AMIGA-DOS  "quirks"  with  which  I  was  not 
familiar  (e.g.,  the  soft-reset  key  combination). 
By  and  by,  after  the  proper  sub-directory  was 
opened,   we  had  QD0S  running  on   the  AMIGA. 


We  "ran*  it  successfully  on  both  an  AMIGA  1000 
w/512K  (with  a  2000  keyboard)  as  well  as  an 
AMIGA  500  W/1024K.  This  should  be  taken  as  a 
conditional  statement  since  the  apparent 
overhead  on  the  AMIGA'S  system  is  well  over 
256K.  The  512K  AMIGA  had  something  in  the 
neighborhood  of  196K  FREE_MEM  left  after  0D0S 
was  on  board.  A  1  meg  unit  would  have  around 
708K.  I  think  current  AMIGA  2000  allows  for  up 
to  2  meg  of  system  memory. 

The  68000  processor  in  tandem  with  the  16-bit 
data  bus  does  make  a  visible  difference  ... 
TurboQUILL*  is  even  better  --  probably 
comparable  to  using  PC-QUILL  on  a(ny)  clone. 

The  PC-CONQUEROR  emulator  (for  those  who  might 
be  interested),  requires  a  1  meg  AMIGA.  The 
available  memory  for  QD0S  was  somewhere  between 
the  memory  available  on  a  640K  and  786K  QL  as 
one  might  suspect.  MS-DOS  probably  runs  at 
about  l.OHhz  vs  0.5  Mhz  on  a  standard  0L. 

FORMATt ing  MS-DOS  disks  was  problematical.  This 
is  in  part  due  to  the  non-standard  disk  drives 
used  on  AMIGAs.  The  disk  formatted  to 
723968/730112  bytes  (i.e.,  6144  bytes  "bad";  or, 
12  bad  sectors). 

TASKMASTER  does  NOT  WORK. 

ORAM  does  NOT  WORK. 

The  preliminary  conclusion  as  to  why  neither 
TASKMASTER  nor  ORAM  may  work  is  because  Kowallik 
(as  well  as  the  ATARI  TOS  writers)  apparently 
chose  to  ignore  Motorola's  request  regarding  use 
of  the  A- line  (vs.  F-line)  in  calls  to  the 
system  (this  has  something  to  do  with  the  TAS 
[Test  and  Set!  instructions/calls).  This  is 
really  beyond  me  and  I  may  have  gotten  it  wrong. 
The  apparent  code  conflict  should  resolvable 
(though  my  understanding  of  the  problem  probably 
will  never  be). 

TURBO -compiled  programs  DO  work  (e.g.,  QLUSTer); 
BUT,  it  does  NOT  seem  that  you  can  use  the  TURBO 
compiler  (v. 2. 00)  with  the  AMIGA. 

The  current  screen  display  visible  is  "square" 
with  the  bottom  40  pixels  not  shown  ...  akin  to 
running  a  monitor-only  program  on  a  NTSC 
television  (testing  was  done  with  an  RGB 
monitor).  The  problem  has  been  forwarded  to 
Harvey  Taylor  as  he  (apparently)  currently  uses 
an  AMIGA  2000  and  may  find  it  to  be  a 
fascinating  enough  problem  on  which  to  spend  a 
few  moments  of  his  time. 

A  REAL  HARDWARE  DEFICIENCY  which  I  noted  to  was 
that  disk  access  was  incredibly  slow  . . . 
untimed,'  but  the  impression  is  that  it  is 
s-l-o-w-e-r  than  loading  from  microdrive 
cartridges! 


I  queried  Nazir  as  to  whether  this  could  not  be 
overcome  with  dedicated"  drives  whereby  the 
AMIGA'S  drive  is  shunted  to  " last- in- the-chain" 
and  the  STANDARD  drives  are  activated.  A 
dedicated  interface  may  be  needed  ...  Nazir  had 
been  considering  my  query  ...  he  had  considered 
using  an  IBM  compatible  drive  as  an  AMIGA  drive 
with  an  N.A.P  designed  interface  card  to  make  it 
think   it  was  an  AMIGA  drive  ... 

The  ATARI  QL- EMULATOR  should  NOT  experience  the 
sluggish  disk  access  since  the  ATARI  and  the  QL 
both  use  the   I BM - compat ible  drives. 

For  what  may  have  been  a  limited  time,  the 
"original"  AMIGA  1000s  W/512K  were  available  for 
around  $300.00  (+/-  $50.00).  Some  AMIGA  dealers 
may  still  have  the  older  units  in  stock  as  (it 
should  be  noted  that  the  AMIGA  1000  uses  a 
"different"  set  of  proprietary  chips  than  the 
500/2000/3000) . 

A  new(er)  AMIGA  500  is  cheaper  than  a  TH0R  XVI 
(the  AMIGA  500  is  a  keyboard/system  box  with  an 
"okay"  keyboard).  But  then,  even  a  new  ATARI  w/ 
DAUGHTER  board   is  cheaper  than  a  TH0R ! 

(NOTE:  Neither         emulator         supports  QL 

CLIENT /SERVER  NETworking,  while  the  TH0R  -- 
apparently  does.) 

There  are  some  things  that  STILL  need  to  be 
worked  out  as  of  mid-December  (the  screen 
display  and  the  "dedicated"  QD0S  disk  drives). 
But,  if  you  tnink  you  can  overcome  these 
problems;  or,  if  are  willing  to  gamble  that 
others  will  resolve  the  f orement ioned  problems 
in  the  near  future,  then  you  should  keep  an  eve 
out  for  a  well   priced,   used/new  AMIGA. 

If  it  isn't  already  apparent,  the  reason  that 
the  QL/AMIGA  emulator  has  significance  is  that 
it  gives  "new"  legs  to  a  familiar  and  proven 
operating  system.  Proprietary  (i.e.,  "scarce") 
chips  such  as  the  ZX-8301 /ZX-8302  are 
eliminated.  Thus,  as  long  as  there  is  an  AMIGA, 
you  will  have  a  platform  on  which  you  can  run 
your  software. 

TIMES  CHANGE .  Now  they  raise  llamas  and 
ostriches  where  cattle  and  sheep  used  to  graze; 
and,  I  keep  hoping  for  a  faster,  INEXPENSIVE 
hardware  upgrade  for  my  QL  . . -  with  only  an 
occassional  glance  at  those  OTHER  computers. 

HMMmm.  If  someone  can  just  convince  Rainer 
Kowallik  to  do  the  same  for  with  QVIEW's  MINERVA 
code  (or,  vice-versa)  ...  we  could  make  those 
legs  BI0NIC   (!)  ... 


FS0G8K1HG  HPS  (ill  Computers) 
Ezploring  DEF  FN  and  PI 


DEF  FN  used  for  Literal  Data 


The  little  used  DEF  FN  and  FN  functions  are  very 
Powerful  and  quite  easy  to  use.   Many  have  ask  for 
an  article  explaining  how  to  use  DEF  FN,  so  here 
it  is. 

<DEF  FK>  is  used  in  a  line  of  programming.  The 
program  line  DEFines  a  Function.   A  very  simple 
one  (of  no  value)  would  be: 
9000  DEF  FN  a{)=10 

This  is  similiar  to  the  way  we  would  assign  a  val- 
ue to  the  variable  a.   But  the  formula  in  line 
9000  DOES  NOT  assign  a  variable.    Its  Ma()M  is  a 
Defined  Function  and  NOT  a  variable. 

<FR>  is  used  to  EXECUTE  THE  DEF  FN  Function. 
EXAMPLE:  To  execute  the  Function  in  line  9000: 
100  PRINT  FN  a{) 

{tad  10  would  be  printed  to  screen). 

Now  lets  use  a  trio  of  DEF  FN  statement  lines  to 
use  for  confuting  the  simple  formula  for  the  area 
of  a  rectangle. 
9000  DEF  FN  a()=L*W 
9002  DEF  FN  L()=a/W 
9004  DEF  FN  W()=a/L 

Here  we  have  three  formula  set  up  to  compute  Area, 
Length,  and  Width. 

Now  we  will  EXECUTE  the  formula  with  the  FN  funct- 
ion. 

% 

100  LET  1=0: LET  w=0:LET  a=0 

102  INPUT  M<1>  Find  Area.  <2>  Find  Length 

<3>  Find  Width"; x  L 

104  IF  x=l  THEN  INPUT  "ENTER  L";l: INPUT  ENTER  w";w 

106  IF  x=2  THEN  INPUT  "ENTER  A";a:INPUT  ENTER  WH;w 

108  IF  x=3  THEN  INPUT  "ENTER  Area"; a:  INPUT  "ENTER 
Length"; I 

110  IF  x=l  THEN  PRINT  FN  a() 
112  IF  x=2  THEN  PRINT  FN  1 { ) 
114  IF  x=3  THEN  PRINT  FN  w() 
116  STOP 


ADD  a  line:  9005  DEF  FN  y$()=a$ 

Now  we  will  use  the  DIRECT  MODE. 
Type  <LET  a$="Fred"> 
Type  < PR I NT  FN  y$()  > 

The  last  little  exercise  tells  us  that  a  DEF  FN 
statement  can  be  much  broader  than  we  have  thought 
before.    It  is  not  limited  to  MATH  Functions.  IN 
FACT,  ANY  FUNCTION  that  can  be  expressed  in  proper 
BASIC  SYNTAX  can  be  DEFined  in  a  DEF  FN  statement! 

CAN  WE  EXPAND  DEF  FN  to  exercise  Machine  Code 
Utilities?  Why  not,  since  BASIC  can  exercise  a  MC 
program?    If  a  MC  program  produces  NUMERIC  value 

via  <  PR  I  NT  USR  jf>  then  we  can  make  the  DEF  FN 
pick  up  the  value:    9010  DEF  FN  a{)=USR  x>.  Or, 
(9020  DEF  FN  a()=(USR  x)+(USR  y)  >.    But  this  is 
getting  beyond  the  intent  of  this  treatsie, 

Already  we  have  learned  quite  a  bit  about  DEF  FN. 

1.  DEF  FN  can  define  a  math  formula  or  any  com- 
puter function  to  be  executed. 

2.  The  DEF  FN  "variable"  has  no  relationship  to  a 
"computer  variable". 

3.  The  DEF  FN  assignment  must  be  in  a  PROGRAM  LINE 

4.  Once  the  DEF  FN  assignment  is  in  a  program  line 

"It  is  just  there",  and  no  GO  TO  or  GO  SUB  is 
needed  to  execute  the  Function. 

5.  The  "FN"  function  executes  the  DEF  FN  state- 
ment. 

6.  The  DEF  FN  Function  is  DEFined  to  the  right 

of  the       sign  and  can  be  ANY  Computer  Function. 

7.  The  Function  can  be  ANYTHING  that  the  Computer 
is  capable  of  doing  {If  in  proper  Syntax). 

Now  to  really  tie  down  the  DEF  FN  and  FN  functions 
lets  key  in  a  couple  of  demonstration  programs. 
Believe  me,  by  doing  so  you'll  never  again  ask 
about  DEF  FN  and  FN.   AND  a  large  new  capability 
will  be  discovered.    Experimentation  will  broaden 
the  discovery. 
Have  Fun--  Bill  Jones 


45 


Choo-Chooing  Along  Kith  DEF  FN 


A  Train  of  Examples 


300  CLS  :  PRINT  "Investigating  DEF  FN"" 

302  GO  SUB  480:  PRINT  "—Area  of  a  Circle" 

304  INPUT  "Enter  RadiusM;r:  PRINT  "The  Area  is  "; 

FN  a():  PRINT  "ENTER":  PAUSE  0 
306  CLS  :  GO  SUB  480::  PRINT  "DEF  FN  to  Find  Syst 

ems  Vars'" ' 

308  PRINT  "Find  VARS"'"VARS=";FN  v():  GO  SUB  480: 
PRINT  "ENT":  PAUSE  0 

310  GO  SUB  480:  PRINT  "Find  PROG" :  PRINT  "PROG  is 
on  the  Log  at  ";FN  p{):  PRINT  "ENT":  PAUSE  0 
312  GO  SUE  480:  PRINT  "Find  NXTLIN"'"NXTLIN=";FN 
n():  PRINT  "ENT":  PAUSE  0 

314  GO  SUB  480:  PRINT  "Find  WORKSP"'"WORKSP=";FN 
w():  PRINT  "ENT":  PAUSE  0 

316  GO  SUB  480:  PRINT  "Find  STKBOT"'"STKBOT=";FN 
s{):  PRINT  "ENT" :  PAUSE  0 

318  GO  SUB  480:  PRINT  "Find  RAMTOP" ' "RAMTOP=" ;FN 
r{):  PRINT  "ENT":  PAUSE  0 

320  GO  SUB  480:  PRINT  "Find  P-RAMT"'"P-RAMT=";FN 
m{):  PRINT  "ENT":  PAUSE  0 

322  CLS  :  GO  SUB  480:  LET  x=4e4:  PRINT  "Doing  Squ 
are  Roots"":  FOR  n=l  TO  x:  INPUT  "ENTER  A  Number- 

x  To  Quit";a:  IF  a=x  THEN   GO  TO  340 

324  PRINT  "The  Square  Root  of  ";a;"  is  ,(;FN  z(): 
NEXT  n 

340  CLS  :  PRINT  INVERSE  1; "Seven  Inter-dependant 
DEF  FN      Formulae  To  Investigate  ";  INVE 

RSE  0 1 ' TAB  5; "How  Much  Water?"":  PRINT  "Given:  La 
st  Night  a  big  Thunder-Storm  rained  over  a  25  Squa 
re    Kile  Area. """How  many  Inches  do  you  suppose 
Fell?"":  GO  SUB  480:  INPUT  "Input  lnches";a 

341  CLS  :  PRINT  "If  ";a;"  Inches  over  25  Sq  Mi  : 

342  PRINT  "There  would  be  ";  INVERSE  1;FN  1{);  IN 
VERSE  0,MCubic  Inches  of  Water."":  GO  SUB  480 

343  PRINT  "This  would  be  ";  INVERSE  1;FN  u();  INV 
ERSE  0;"  Cu  Ft.";  INVERSE  0":  GO  SUB  480 

344  PRINT  "This  is  ";  INVERSE  1;FK  g();  INVERSE  0 
;"  Gallons."":  GO  SUB  480 

345  PRINT  "The  Weight  is  ";  INVERSE  1;FN  o{);  INV 
ERSE  0 '"Pounds."":  GO  SUB  480 

346  PRINT  "The  Water  would  Weigh  ";  INVERSE  1;FN 
t()'"  Tons."'  INVERSE  0:  GO  SUB  480 

347  PRINT  "A  Choo-Choo  Train  of  ";  INVERSE  1;INT 
(FN  c());  INVERSE  0'"Tank  Cars  would  be  needed  to 

haul  the  Water."":  GO  SUB  480 

348  PRINT  "The  Train  would  be  ";  INVERSE  1;INT  (F 
N  y{)+.5);"  Miles"'  INVERSE  0;"in  Length"":  GO  SU 
B  480 


350  PRINT  '"At  100  Cars  Per  Engine,  we  wouldneed 
";  INVERSE  1;FN  h();  INVERSE  0;M  Locomotives/": 
GO  SUB  480 

352  PRINT  "Engines  extend  the  Train  Length  to  "; 
INVERSE  1;FN  j();  INVERSE  0;M  Miles  long.**:  GO  SUB 
480 

354  PRINT  "ENTER":  PAUSE  0:  GO  TO  340 
480  FOR  n=l  TO  3:  BEEP  .15,n*14:  NEXT  n:  RETURN 
500  DEF  FN  a()={PI*rT2) 
502  DEF  FN  v()=(PEEK  23627+256*PEEK  23628) 
504  DEF  FN  p()=(PEEK  23635+256*PEEK  23636) 
506  DEF  FN  n()={PEEK  23637+256*PEEK  23638) 
508  DEF  FN  e()=(PEEK  23641+256*PEEK  23642) 
510  DEF  FN  w{)=(PEEK  23649+256*PEEK  23650) 
512  DEF  FN  s{)=(PEEK  2365H256*PE£K  23652) 
514  DEF  FN  r()={PEEK  23730+256*PEEK  23731) 
516  DEF  FN  m{)={PEEK  23732+256*PEEK  23733) 
518  DEF  FN  z()={SOR  a) 

520  DEF  FN  1 ()=({ 5280*12 )f2)*a*25:  REM  Cubic  Inch 
es  \j 

521  DEF  FN  u()=FN  1()/1728:  REM  Cubic  Feet 

522  DEF  FN  g()=(FN  l{)/23i):  REM  Gallons 
524  DEF  FN  o()=FN  g()*8:  REM  Weight  Pounds 
526  DEF  FN  t{)=(FN  o()/2000):  REM  Weight  Tons 
528  DEF  FN  c()=(FN  o()/90000) :  REM  Nbr  Rail  Cars 

90000  lb  Gwt 

530  DEF  FN  y()=(FN  c( )*80/5280) :  REM  Train  length 
80  Feet  per  Car  ^ 
532  DEF  FN  h()=INT  {FN  c()/100+.5)  ? 
534  DEF  FN  ii)=INT  (FN  h{ )*80/528G+FN  y()  +  .5)  J 

Note:   The  Program  beginning  at  line  1340  uses  9 
DEF  FN  Formulae.   These  begin  at  line  1520  and  are 
set  up  in  a  sequence  so  that  each  formula  AFTER 
line  520  depends  upon  the  calculation  of  earlier 
DEF  FN  functions.    So,  for  the  last  calculation  in 
line  1352,  the  formula  within  lines  520,  521,  522, 
524,  526,  528,  530,  and  532,  are  all  executed  to 
find  "FN  j{)"  in  line  352. 

This  difficult  math  problem  was  given  in  a  test 
to  a  12th  grade  high  school  class,  accompanied  by 
a  table  of  values  needed  to  solve  the  problem.  Of 
three  classes  of  30  students  each,  none  solved  the 
problem  within  a  10  mile  error  allowance.  The  TS- 
2068  solves  the  problem  in  about  2  seconds,  most 
of  which  is  used  for  display.  -BJ_ 


44 


50  REM  **  Differential 

51  REM  Equations 

52  REM      Using  DEF  FN 

53  REM 

54  REM  **  Area  of  a  Circle 

55  REM      (for  simplicity) 

56  REM 

100  LET  a=0:  LET  r=0 

102  INPUT  M<1>  Find  Area'""<2>  Find  Radius" ;x 
104  IF  z-l  THEN    INPUT  "Enter  Radius  M;r 
106  IF  x=2  THEN   INPUT  "Enter  Area  ";a 
108  IF  x=2  THEN   PRINT  "The  Radius  is  ";FN  r() 
110  IF  x=l  THEN   PRINT  "The  Area  is  ";FN  a(J 
120  GO  TO  100 
9000  DEF  FN  a()=PI*r*2 

9002  DEF  FN  r()=SQR  (a/PIj 

9003  REM  - 

9004  REM  *  After  Breaking  OUT  of  the  above,  do 
some  in  the  Direct  Mode.  TRY: 

<LET  r=3:  PRINT  FN  a()>  <LET  a=60:  PRINT  FN  r(}> 

9005  REM   

9008  REM  **  Note  that  A  DIRECT   <FN  a()>  Command 
works  if  there  is  a  valid  <DEF  FN  a()>Formula  in  a 
Line  Statement.    If  NOT  then  a  Report  Code  would 
be  given. 

9010  REM   

9016  REM  *  Also  prove  that  vars  a  and  r  are  not 
disturbed  by  the  DEF  FN  assignments  of  DEF  FN  a(} 
and  DEF  FN  r().  <PRINT  a>  and  <PRINT  FN  a()> 
<PRIHT  r>  and  <PRINT  FN  r{)> 

9018  REM   

9020  REM  *  Now  we  are  equipped   to  construct  a 
better  View  Calc  program,  eh? 

9022>REM    

9024  REM  *  Add  more  lines  with  your  favorite  Math 
Formulae  to  Compute  the  National  Debt  on  a  daily 
basis.    (In  Dollars,  Yen,  and  Schekels) 


!  Software 

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hi-res  'lodern  art*  depictions  of  the  original  b/*  video 
itagt  are  autoiatically  proceed  froi  a  video  data  file. 
A  color  editor  is  available  for  custoi  'colorizing*. 

This  software  is  priced  at  IMS  post-paid  each,  and  coaes 
Mith  cotplete  user  notes  t  video  digitizing  suggestions. 
Send  ISASE  for  additional  information  and  ordtr  fori  to: 
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T h is    program   not    only  Keeps 
t  r a c K   o f    your    checks ,    dep o sits  , 
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has    a    special    routine    that  helps 
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end    of    the   month!      find    all    in  64- 
columns   ma  King    it    easy    to  read. 

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Maxi  -Bill    helps    sort    out  all 
of    your    credit    card    bills    at  the 
end    or    the   mo  nth    and    info rms  you 
as    to    hou#  much    to  pay   on  each 
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45 


WE  DO    CUSTPH    BUSINESS  PROGRAMMING 


DOMINO  CUBES  SELLS  THE  2  POUND  PORTABLE 
Z-88  COMPUTER  FOR  $30  LESS  THAN  CAMBRIDGE 
N-    AMERICA    !  ! 

WE  ALSO  SUPPLY  f /?g<=T  *    THE  ONLY  UNDERSTANDABLE 
INSTRUCTION  MANUAL     TO  THOSE  BUYING  THE  Z-88 
COMPUTER  PROM  US- 

 OTHERWISE   IT   IS  *  1  0  

WE  DO  CUSTOM  BUSINESS  PROGRAMMING, 

WE  SELL  A  BETTER,    QUICKER,    AND  LESS 
EXPENSIVE  EPROM  ERASER  POR  THOSE  PEOPLE 
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THE  DISK  DRIVE  USES  ^  ALKALINE  A  A 
BATTERIES  JUST  LIKE  THE  COMPUTER. 

WQQ  CUSTOM  BUSINESS  PROGRAMMING. 

YES  ,    THE   Z-88  CAN  DO  GRAPHICS  AND  BAR 
CHARTS  ,    AND  MUCH  MUCH  MORE  !    •  ! 

 i  iim  1—111  f   #•    ^    ^    -#    *  ♦  wmmmmmmmm 

lilllilllilllllliilllilllilliil 

WE  CAN  SELL  YOU  A  Z?  2  S~  K  TO  LOAD  OUR  COMPUTER 
INSIDE  YOUR  COMPUTER,  CHEAPER  THAN  BUY"  I  NO 
THE  COMPUTER.  OUR  COMPUTER  CAN  DO  THINGS 
YOURS  CAN-""  T  DO,    OR  CAN  ="  T  DO  EASILY. 

WE  DO  CUSTOM  BUSINESS  PROGRAMMING. 

ALL  OTHER  QUESTIONS  WILL  GLADLY  BE  ANSWERED 
BY  MIKE  PINK,  IP  YOU  LEAVE  YOUR  NAME ,  NUMBER 
AND  TIME  TO  CALL. 

WE  SELL     SQUARE-DOT,      SUPER  —  PAST,  AND 
INK-JET  PRINTERS. 


 ■  i   mmmmmmaammam 

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46 


Datat  ron  i  cs     22  ^  J2>     R"     Ml  cj  ci     m     R     \/  i  w 


I  recently  bought  a  new  2400  Baud 
pocket  modem  to  use  with  my  288. 

A  pocket  modem  is  just  a  smaller 
version  of  a  -full  size  modem.  They 
are  approximately  one  quarter  the 
size  o-f  a  standard  modem. 

The  modem's  dimensions  are  5 
inches  by  2.5  inches  by  i.12  inches. 
It  weighs  0.33  pounds.  The  modem  is 
beige  colored  to  match  most  computers 
except  Sinclairs. 

There  are  five  LEDs:  Low  Battery, 
Auto  Answer,  Modem  Ready,  High  Speed 
and  Carrier  Detect. 

It  takes  a  9  volt  battery  or  an 
AC  adapter.  I  get  about  8  hours  on  an 
alkaline  battery  and  2  hours  on  a 
rechargeable  Ni-Cad.  I  generally  use 
an  AC  adapter  at  home  and  the 
batteries  on  the  road. 

There  is  a  female  DB25  connector 
on  one  end  of  the  modem.  This  is 
designed  to  plug  directly  into  the 
serial  port  of  an  IBM  type  computer. 
The  Z88  has  a  DB9  connector  so  a 
cable  is  needed  to  connect  to  the 
modem.  See  the  diagram  in  my  article 
in  the  April  1990  Update  or  contact 
your  dealer  for  a  cable. 

The  modem  is  100%  Hayes 
compatible  so  it  is  compatible  with 
all  your  software.  It  also  has  an 
extended  command  set  so  it  has  some 
commands  that  older  Hayes  modems  do 
not  have. 

This  modem  has  some  features  I 
have  not  seen  on  some  other  modems. 
There  is  a  non-volatile  memory  to 
store  two  configuration  profiles  and 
10  telephone  numbers.  The 

configuration  profile  is  all  the 
software  switch  settings  and 
registers  in  the  modem.  You  can  view 
the  non-volatile  memory  to  see  the 
status  of  all  these  settings  in  one 
d  i splay . 

There  are  some  diagnostic 
commands  available  to  test  your 
computer,  modem,  telephone  line, 
remote  modem  and  remote  computer. 
These  should  be  useful  if  you  ever 
experience  communication  problems. 


Other  countries  have  different 
modem  standards.  They  use  different 
tones  for  tone  dialing  and  different 
on  hook/off  hook  intervals  for  pulse 
dialing.  You  can  change  these 
settings  if  you  plan  on  doing  some 
overseas  traveling. 

I  have  a  couple  telephone  numbers 
stored.  Other  than  that  I  have  not 
changed  any  of  the  defaults  that  came 
with  the  modem.  It  may  be  neccesary 
to  change  some  of  the  settings  when 
using  different  telephone  systems 
wh  i 1 e  tr  avel i  ng. 

Performance  wise  I  am  getting 
some  random  garbled  text  at  2400  baud 
while  logged  onto  GEnie.  Setting 
Xon/Xoff  on  the  288  Panel  to  Yes 
eliminated  about  99%  of  the  garbled 
text. 

Some  Bulletin  Boards  have  Null 
settings.  This  is  a  variable  delay 
that  you  can  set.  Setting  the  Nulls 
to  a  higher  number  should  eliminate 
this  garbled  text. 

Xmodem  transfers  work  perfectly 
at  2400  and  the  extra  speed  is  nice 
when  downloading  a  long  file.  It's 
best  to  turn  Xon/Xoff  to  No  when 
using  Xmodem. 

Xmodem  is  a  file  transfer 
protocol  designed  to  transfer  any 
file  even  machine  language. 

I  bought  a  2400  baud  modem  at 
this  time  because  GEnie  changed  their 
rates.  300,  1200  and  2400  baud  all 
now  cost  $6.00  an  hour.  2400  baud 
saves  time  and  money.  GEnie  also  has 
over  100  services  at  *4.95  per  month. 
You  don't  pay  the  *6.00  an  hour  when 
you  access  these  services. 

2400  baud  also  makes  long 
distance  calls  less  expensive.  Time 
is  money  here  as  well. 

I  bought  the  2400P  from  Jameco 
Electronics  in  California  and  paid 
*139.95  for  it.  Pocket  modems  are 
generally  more  expensive  than  full 
sized  moderns.  But  I  felt  that  this 
modem's  extra  features  and  small  size 
were  worth  the  price. 

By  Dave  Bennett 


4  J 


The     G  E  ri  i  €=■      I  n-f  ormat  i  on     S  «■  r-  >✓  i  cz  «e 


Those  of  you  using  modems  may  or 
may  not  be  aware  of  the  large 
Information  Services  available  to 
you.  Most  likely  you  can  access  them 
with  a  local  phone  call  if  you  live 
near  a  city  with  a  population  of 
50,000  or  greater. 

The  most  famous  is  probably 
CompuServe.  This  is  a  very  good 
service.  I  was  a  member  for  several 
years.  There  is  a  Timex  Sinclair  Sig 
located   in  the  Computer  Club  Forum. 

But  then  I  switched  to  the  GEnie 
Service  primarily  because  of  support 
of  the  Z88  in  the  Laptops  Roundtable. 
At  the  time  there  was  little  or  no 
support  of  the  288  on  CompuServe. 

Most  of  you  know  from  my  articles 
that  I  am  just  crazy  about  the  Z88. 
It  is  a  fantastic  computer.  It  can  do 
some  things  that  are  impossible  for 
other  8  bit  machines.  But  I  am 
getting  off   track  here. 

GEnie  has  separate  Bulletin 
Boards  called  Roundtables.  These  are 
further  subdivided  into  Categories 
and  then  into  Topics. 

At  the  time  that  I  joined  GEnie 
the  Z88  had  a  Topic  in  the  Laptops 
Roundtable.  Since  then  we  now  have  a 
Z88  Category.  Maybe  in  the  future 
there  will  be  a  Z88  Roundtable.  There 
certainly  seems  to  be  enough  Z88s 
being  sold  to  justify  it.  You  do  need 
a  sponsor  for  a  Roundtable  though. 

Currently  the  sponsor  of  the 
Laptops  Roundtable  is  Traveling 
Software.  They  make  Link-up  software 
for  PCs.  In  the  past  they  produced 
Tandy  Model   100  products. 

The  earlier  Sinclair  related 
computers  such  as  the  QL  and  the  2068 
are  supported  in  the  TI  Roundtable 
under  Category  13  Orphans.  Currently 
there  are  only  topics  available. 

Right  now  there  are  few  if  any 
messages  being  written  for  these 
machines  and  no  files  are  being 
uploaded.  I  think  that  if  more  people 
contributed  there  can  at  least  be  a 
2068  and  QL  Category. 


There  is  some  incentive  in 
joining  GEnie  rather  than  CompuServe. 
GEnie  just  reduced  their  rates.  There 
are  some  other  information  services 
out  there.  One  is  a  mainly  IBM 
service  called  Prodigy.  Prodigy  just 
reduced  their  services  to  H5.00  a 
month.  In  response  GEnie  now  provides 
over  100        services  including 

Electronic  Mail  and  an  Electronic 
Encyclopedia  at  *4.95  a  month.  Any 
interests  besides  computers  can  be 
supported  for  this  price. 

Any  of  the  Computer  Roundtables 
and  all  of  the  download  areas  in  the 
Roundtables  are  not  supported  under 
this  plan.  You  must  pay  *6.00  an  hour 
for  300,  1200  and  2400  baud  to  access 
these. 

But  still  this  is  significantly 
less  than  CompuServe.  They  have  rates 
of  *6.00  an  hour  for  300  baud  and 
$12.50  an  hour  for  1200  and  2400 
baud.  For  some  reason  CompuServe  does 
not  offer  flat  rates  like  the  other 
services. 

GEnie  is  part  of  the  General 
Electric  Company.  Their  offices  and 
computers  are  located  in  Rockville 
Maryland.  Their  Computer  Network  has 
phone  numbers  located  in  most  larger 
cities. 

To  join  GEnie  call  1-800-638-9636 
< voice) . 

Or  set  your  modem  for  half  duplex 
at  300  or  1200  baud.  Dial 
1-800-638-8369.  Upon  connection  enter 
HHH.  At  the  U#:  prompt  enter: 
XJM1 1999, GENIE.  There  will  be  a  brief 
explanation  and  you  will  be  given  the 
opportunity  to  sign  up. 

You  should  have  a  major  credit 
card  handy  or  you  can  have  the  fees 
deducted     from  your  checking  account. 

Your  permanent  password  will  be 
mailed  to  you.  You  will  also  get  a 
User's  Manual  and  a  subscription  to 
the  GEnie  Magazine  LiveWIRE. 

By  Dave  Bennett 


4  h 


QUANTA  has  released  it's  latest  updates  to  the  Users  Group  library.  This  is 
the  revised  list  of  disks  and  the  approximate  amount  of  free  sectors  per 
disk.    As  you  can  see  the  library  is  now  over  24  megabytes  of  programming  for 
the  QL  computer. 


Disk  Name  Contents  Free  Sectors 

DUAL_GUIDE  (  Archive  based  Library  Guides  )   588 

C.A.D_1  (  Computer  Aided  Design  )   312 

C0MMS_XFER1 . . . (  COMMunicationS/transf er  )   135 

C0MMS_XFER2 . . .  (  a  BBS  program  )   921 

EDUC_1  (  EDUCational  )   345 

GAMES_GEN1  (  GENeral  games  )   222 

GAMES_GEN2   230 

GAMES_GEN3  1134 

GMS_STRAT1  (  GaMes  advent/STRATegy  )....  . .   108 

GMS=STRAT2   105 

GMS_STRAT3   72 

GMS_STRAT4   735 

GRAPHICS_1= . . . (  Graphics  programs  )   231 

GRAPHICS_2   435 

KERMIT_1  (  Kermit  for  the  QL  )   99 

KERMIT.2   807 

KERMIT_3   348 

LANGUAGE S_l .  .  .  (  Forth,    'C  ,  etc  )   384 

MANDEL_1  (  MANDELbrot  programs  )   138 

MANDEL_2   9 

MATHS_1  (  Maths  etc  )   186 

MATHS_2   888 

MISC_DEM0_1. . . (  MISC  &  DEMOnstration  )   729 

MISC._DEM0_2   87 

MISCJDEM0_3   324 

PAGE_DES  (  Version  1  )   48 

PRT_F0NTS_1 . . . (  PRinTer  utilities  &  FONTS  )   243 

PRT_FONTS_2   222 

PRT_FONTS_3   642 

PSION_l   .(  PSION  utilities  etc  )   144 

PSION_2   195 

PSION_3   345 

QDOS_JM_l  (  JM  ROM  decoded  )..   462 

QDOS_JM_2   648 

QDOS_JM_3   15 

QDOS_JM_4   154 

QD0S_JS_1  (   JS  ROM  )   459 

SPECIALS_0  (  Reserved  -  T.  TEBBY  +  TRAPS  ONLY  )  1032 

SPECIALS_1.  —  (  Specialist  programs  )   255 

SPECIALS_2   195 

SPECIALS_3   450 

SPECIALS_4   309 

UTIL_DRCPY  (  DiR  &  CoPY  UTILities  )   525 

UTIL_EMACS  (  Mi  cro_EMACS  V3.9p  SOURCE  FILES   )   36 

UTIL_EMAC2  (  Run  version.  NON-SOURCE  +  new  _doc's  )...  777 

UTIL_GEN_1  (  General  utilities  )   144 

UTIL_GEN_2   96 

UTIL_GEN_3   333 

UTIL_TKMC_1 . . . (  ToolKits/MachineCode  )   201 

UTIL_TKMC_2   903 


The  USA  Sub-Librarian  is  ready  to  update  the  QUANTA  members  on  this  side  of 
the  Atlantic.  Details  are  just  a  SASE  away.  Address  your  questions  to  Paul 
Holmgren,     5231  Wilton  Wood  Ct.  ,     Indianapolis,     IN.  46254. 


PUBLIC  NOTICE  FROM  JACK  DOHANY  dated  January  1,  1991 

As  of  January  1,    1991,   I  have  retired  from  my  2068  support 
activities.   I  will  accept  no  further  orders  from  anyone  for 
anything,   nor  will  I  accept  phone  calls  or  answer  letters, 
except  from  close  friends  or  fellow  developers. 

The  reason  is  this:   I've  been  spending  far  too  much  time  on 
support,   and  virtually  none  on  programming,  which  is  my  hobby 
and  passion.   So  I'm  going  to  stop  trying  to  be  a  dealer/guru, 
and  resume  being  just  a  programmer  and  hardware  developer. 

Of  course  I'm  NOT  defecting  from  the  2068  to  another  computer; 
the  2068  is  still  the  ONLY  computer  I  like  and  use.    I  plan  to 
spend  most  of  my  free  time  for  the  next  few  years  producing 
software  and  hardware  for  it,  which  I'll  make  available  through 
dealers  such  as  RMG  and  Ed  Grey.  Other  dealers  who  would  like  to 
carry  my  stuff  are  invited  to  contact  roe. 

What  about  support  for  my  products?  Dealers  will  forward  any 
problems  or  questions  they  can't  handle  to  me,   and  I'll  get 
around  to  dealing  with  them  eventually. 

With  luck,   I'll  find  time  now  and  then  to  write  articles  for 
UPDATE,   which  I've  never  had  time  to  do. 

I'd  like  to  thank  all  of  the  many  2068  folks  with  whom  I've 
dealt,   for  their  generosity  and  patience...   and  please  leave  me 
alone  now! 


NOTES : 

If  you  have  asked  for  a  catalog,   or  written  to  me  in  expectation 
of  a  reply,   please  accept  my  apologies:   I  no  longer  have  a 
catalog,   and  I  cannot  reply  to  your  letter.   Please  write  or  call 
a  dealer  of  your  choice.    I  know  of  these  two  dealers: 


RMG  Enterprises 
1419  1/2  7th  Street 
Oregon  City,  OR  97045 


Ed  Grey  Enterprises 
P.O.   Box  2186 
Inglewood,   CA  90305 


Contact:   Rod  Gowen 
Voice:  503-655-7484 
Times:   Tue-Sat  Noon-10  PM 


Contact:   Ed  Grey 

Voice:  213-759-7406 

The  Grey  Matter  BBS  &  RCP/M: 

213-971-6260   ( CALAN ) 


If  you  want  to  keep  posted,  please  subscribe  to  this  quarterly 
magazine  for  users  of  Sinclair  computers: 


UPDATE  COMPUTER  SYSTEMS 
P.O.   Box  1095 
Peru,    Indiana  46970 


Edited  and  published  by: 
Carol  and  Frank  Davis 
Phone:  317-473-8031 


Subscription  rate:   $18  per  year  in  USA. 
Back  issues: 

Bill  Jones,    1317  Stratford  Ave,   Panama  City,   FL  32404 


TS2068     UPDATE     ISSUE  DISKS 


These  disks  contain  at  least  one  major  piece  of  software  written 
specifically  for  disk  drive  and  are  guaranteed  to  be  worth  the 
money.  The  rest  of  the  disks  are  filled  with  various  utility 
programs! taken  from  the  issues  of  UPDATE  and  a  few  surprises 
thrown  in.  Half  of  the  money  goes  to  the  author  and  is  meant  to 
encourage  new  programming  for  the  TS2068  that  makes  use  of  the 
various  disk  drive  systems.  Presently  we  are  offering  disks  for 
the  Larken  and  Oliger  Interfaces,  but  have  programs  available 
for  the  Aerco  (just  as  soon  as  I  hear  that  there  is  a  demand  to 
have  available).  All  are  $22.00  per  disk  (add  $1.00  Canada)  and 
include  postage  and  handling.  We  have  two  new  pieces  of  software 
coming  out  in  the  next  issue,  plus  the  return  of  some  previously 
offered.  Both  3  1/2  and  5  1/4  40  and  80  track  available.  Please 
add  $5.00  for  mailing  to  other  countries.  We  accept  personal 
checks ,  company  checks,  money  orders  as  well  as  International 
Postal  Money  Orders.   We  do  not  have  facilities  for  charge  cards. 

1)  MITCHELL  BUDGET  DISK,  with  wide  spreadsheet  printer  driver, 
MS-TAS  and  various  other  utilities.  Available  as  either  Larken 
or  as  Oliger  format. 

2)  Bob  Hartung  D0SDEX  UTILITY  ISSUE  DISK,  a  complete  disk 
management  group  of  programs  for  the  Oliger  Interface  only.  This 
includes  Mul t i -Manager  for  file  handling.  This  collection  has 
recently  been  updated. 

3)  MAIL  MERGE  ISSUE  DISK,  Oct  87  and  Jan  88  issues  of  UPDATE 
utilities  added  to  fill  out  this  disk.  Includes  a  tutor  program 
for  the  Mail  Merge  program,  List  Looker,  Purity,  J-Utilities  and 
Extra  Memory  Utilities. 

4)  MITCHELL  VIEW  CALC  ISSUE  DISK,  forget  the  old  slow  VC  for 
tape?  The  rest  of  the  disk  is  filled  with  other  utilities 
plus  some  Public  Domain  for  fillers.  At  this  time  for  Larken 
format  only. 

5)  OLIGER  DISK  DRIVE  BBS  PROGRAM,  this  allows  users  of  the 
Oliger  interface  to  be  able  to  operate  a  disk  based  bulletin 
board  from  the  TS2068.  The  disk  is  also  filled  with  many  other 
Oliger  disk  routines  and  tips  on  using  the  Oliger  System.  New  by 
Paul  Holmgren. 

6)  The  HYBISCUS  ENSEMBLE,  consisting  of  two  separate,  but 
complimentary  sets  of  programs.  A)  Daisy. B6  Ensemble,  and  B) 
Udbm.B6  Ensemble.  LKD0S  only,  $22  each  or  $36  for  both.  The  best 
file  and  database  available  for  Larken,   by  Bill  Jones. 

UPDATE  COMPUTER  SYSTEMS  invites  you  to  submit  software  programs 
that  may  become  Issue  Disks.  Please  submit  program  on  disk,  with 
documentation  and  article  to  accompany  the  program.  We  are  here 
to  get  North  American  software  available  and  known.  We  also 
solicit  minor  programs,  tips  and  utilities  for  print  in  future 
issues  of  the  magazine.  Please  do  not  submit  unl istable  programs 
or  copy  protected  programs. 


OL     UPDATE     ISSUE  DISKS 


These  disks  contain  at  least  one  major  piece  of  software  written 
specifically  for  disk  drive  and  are  guaranteed  to  be  worth  the 
money.  The  rest  of  the  disks  are  filled  with  various  utility 
programs  taken  from  the  issues  of  UPDATE  and  a  few  surprises 
thrown  in.  Half  of  the  money  goes  to  the  author  and  is  meant  to 
encourage  new  programming  for  the  QL  that  makes  use  of  the 
disk  drive  systems,  and  microdrives  on  both  the  expanded  and 
unexpanded  QL.  Where  possible  we  will  give  a  version  for  each  of 
these  configurations.  Some  of  the  programs  take  advantage  of  TK2 
by  Tony  Tebby.  All  are  $22.00  per  disk  (add  $1.00  Canada)  and 
include  postage  and  handling.  Available  as  3  1/2  or  5  1/4  disks. 
Add  $5.00  for  mailing  to  other  countries.  We  accept  personal 
checks,  company  checks,  money  orders  as  well  as  International 
Postal  Money  Orders,  but  no  charge  cards.  If  ordering  on  MDV , 
then  please  include  one  that  is  already  formatted,  so  we  will 
know  it  will  run  on  your  QL.  Due  to  the  expense  of  MDVs  this  is 
necessary.    If  two  MDVs  are  required  we  will   state  so   in  the  ad. 

1)  HARTUNG  UTILITY  ISSUE  DISK-  Several  excellent  programs  such 
as  stand  alone  data  base,  Address,  and  QS0  files.  All  are  in 
Superbasic.  Lots  of  hints  and  tricks  for  programmers.  Requires 
some  knowledge  of  Superbasic  or  a  yen  to  learn.  Recently  updated 
by  Bob  Hartung.  Address  file  can  be  used  as  inventory  program. 
It  can  print  out  labels.  Both  screen  or  paper  printouts  can  be 
by  Alpha  sort,   or  be  by   last  name. 

2)  CABLE  ARCHIVE  ISSUE  DISK-  Contains  six  Archive  programs  along 
with  Doc  files  to  get  you  going  on  making  use  of  the  Archive 
programming  language.  Also  has  Tasket ,  plus  Doc  file,  to  give 
you  mult i- tasking  on  your  QL  (much  cheaper  than  QRAM  or 
Taskmaster).  Included  is  Arithmetic,  a  Superbasic  program  for 
math,  along  with  math  drills.  This  is  for  both  the  advanced  and 
beginner  user  and  greatly  extends  the  use  of  Archive.  To  order 
on  microdrive  send  two  formatted  microdrives,    too  much   for  one! 


3)  QLUSTER  ISSUE  DISK  by  Al  Feng-  Ql  utilities  to  unclutter  your 
disks  and  microdrives.  COPY,  DELETE,  FORMAT ,  PRINT,  VIEW,  plus 
extended  use  of  some  Tool  Kit  2  commands.  TK2  is  required.  These 
are  TURBO  compiled  for  speed.  Multitasks  and  uses  minimal  key 
presses.  Includes  Fast-Disk  and  Vegemat2,  a  super  clone  making 
program.  Also  Snap  Shot-a  directory  column  or  condensed  printout 
program . 

4)  DOS  EMULATOR  COMPANION   ISSUE  DISK  by  Al   Feng-     Just  released 
in  Oct.    issue.    Makes     better     use     of     Solution,     PC  Conqueror, 
Discover,   X0VER ,   QLuster  and  scrjcodes.    If  you  are  going  to  use 
the  emulators,    then  check  this  out. 

5)  QLuMSi  DOS  by  Al  Feng-  a  MSD0S  simulator  and  front  end 
program  for  the  QL,  also  includes  other  programs  by  AL  Feng  for 
file  management  and  cloning  of  programs. 

UPDATE  COMPUTER  SYSTEMS  invites  you  to  submit  software  programs 
that  may  become  Issue  Disks.  Please  submit  program  on  disk,  with 
documentation  and  article  to  accompany  the  program.  We  are  here 
to  get  North  American  software  available  and  known.  We  solicit 
programs,    tips,   reviews  and  utilities  for  future  issues.